Sa wat dee Thailand!

We made it! As of Wednesday, January 20th, we are on the continent of Asia, in the beautiful Land of Thai. Our flight was alright, they gave us plenty of food, and didn`t charge us any extra for baggage. Note to self...saying you are on your honeymoon gets you treated nicely in the airports. Also, on our layover in Tokoyo (3 hours) we ate rice balls with vegetables wrapped in seaweed, and I reaffirmed my belief that the People of Japan love cute things.

Upon arriving in Bangkok at 12 AM a day after we left, we took a long taxi ride to Teresa`s lovely apartment. What a place! Very spacious, luxurious, on the 21st floor with a great view of Bangkok. We awoke the next day very early, our bodies a bit confused as to what hour it was (its 12 hours ahead here) and headed out for our first day of sightseeing. We hopped in a neon orange taxi (taxis in Bangkok come in dayglow pink, yellow, blue and orange) and went to the old quarter to see Wat Pho (P-ho, not Fo). We walk in the gate and pick up a tour guide, Krishna. We walk into a temple and I see something, I say `What is that huge gold pillar?` and I look a little more and Oh my Gosh it`s his arm. I was staring right at a 150 foot long gold plated reclining Buddha. Amazing. We continue on and explore more of the grounds, with huge spires jutting up and statues of buddhas, chinese dogs, and guards littering the grounds. Really like no place I have ever been.

We finish our tour and cross over the river on a ferry boat (only 10 cents!) to Wat Arun, also known as Temple of the Dawn. This temple was magnificent, ornately decorated with dancing buddhas and intricate tilework. We climbed up to the top and looked out over Bangkok. It looked like a modern city skyscape but with stupas and gleaming gold temples dotted around. We climbed down and went to a monk chant back in Wat Pho. We stayed for 1\2 hour listening to the voices resonating off of the huge gold buddha in front of us, and being still.

The next day, we went to the zoo. After 2 taxi drivers in a row told us it was closed (they were trying to trick us into taking another tour) we found a skyrail station. The kind Thai woman in the information booth told us that no, it was not closed but it was small. We wanted to go anyway. So we took the rail there, and found that the zoo was not small. Right as we walk in, we find the giraffes. They were feeling frisky, and Travis nearly got to pet one! It was a dream come true for him.We walk through the zoo encountering many familiar animals, and some not-so. One of these was a binturong. I identified him immediately and found that he was available to hold for a small fee. Of course I did it! and now I have a photo of us with a Binturong and a sleepy skunk. That was pretty much the highlight of my day.

One thing about Thailand- the food here is SO good. I love Thai food we get at home, especially the coconut curries and pad thai. But there is so much more! And it`so so spicy. And cheap! You can get a meal from a food stall, like a curry or a bunch of spring rolls for around 20-30 baht. That`s only 0.70-$1!! It`s actually cheaper to eat out here than it is to cook yourself if you eat the street food. Some days we will just eat our way down a street, buying 3 or 4 dishes and sharing them all, and still costs us less than $2 per meal. Most of the time I have no idea what I`m even eating. The fruit here is to die for. It`s pineapple, watermelon and papaya season here right now.

For the past few days we have been at a community run farm called the Panya Project near Chiang Mai up North, attending a Nonviolent Communication workshop hosted by Jack Lehnon. Highly recommended if you ever get a chance to go to one of his workshops. It really has helped me realize how to improve my relationships through present awareness during conversation and using a non-victim based communication style.  It`s been wonderful to be able to take this course with Travis, kind of like marriage counselling before any problems even arise.

Everyone at Panya has been so friendly and accepting, and from all different countries, Thailand, New Zealand, Belgium, Australia, England, USA, Netherlands, Japan, etc. We are fed amazing homecooked Thai food and have plenty of down time to relax and talk to people. Tomorrow we begin work on the farm, as we are staying on an extra 10 days to volunteer here, to learn about sustainable living.

So, here it is, the first of many updates! Feel free to pass this along to anyone you would like, and write back if you feel so inclined! I will try to answer any emails I get, but I may not due to time. But I promise to read them and think of you! I hope all is well in your lives, dear friends and family. Please keep in touch!








Check out all our photos from the first step of our trip in Bangkok: http://www.facebook.com/media/set/?set=a.800529011465.2373895.18403674&l=28e7d20205