Story will come:
Phitsanulok:
Nong Khai:
11.26.2006
Mass Commericalism in Chiang Mai
Story to come... Pictures ready...
Bridge Over Rive Kwai:
Thailand's Ancient Capitals:
The Golden Triangle:
Chaing Mai:
International Flower Festival:
Lamphang:
Bridge Over Rive Kwai:
Thailand's Ancient Capitals:
The Golden Triangle:
Chaing Mai:
International Flower Festival:
Lamphang:
Thanksgiving Wishes
Hello all!
I just wanted to send a quick email to say Happy Thanksgiving to everyone!
There is nothing like travel to remind me just what I am thankful for and this trip has done a particularly wonderful job. The first and most obvious thing traveling reminds me of is all of the people I respect, admire, and care about that distance constricts contact with (each and everyone of you have been hand picked for this mass email because of this very reason - whether you like it or not). I am very thankful for the role each of you has played in my life and look forward to all of our future interactions.
Secondly, I am thankful for the living circumstances I have been born into. I am able to find a job... even be choosy finding a job, I can live in a home with a spare bedroom if I like, I can own a car and go wherever I like, I can get a free education and go onto advanced schooling if I like, I can speak my mind, I can form groups to change my government, I can be proud to be a woman, I can live without fear of bombs and guns, I can practice whatever religion suits me best, I have health care, I have a government that (generally) works for me, I have clean water, I have sanitary clinics, I have safe roads to travel on, I have heat in the winter, there is little trash in my streets, there are so many things I have to be grateful for... I am fortunate because many people around the world cannot say the same thing about their living conditions.
Now my challenge is not to take these things for granted, to never complain about what I have, to wake up each morning thankful for everything around me, to be truly alive in the moment, to make sure I am not taking more than my fair share, and to live each day working to better these conditions for myself, my children, and others around the world.
I will end this email here and wish all of you a wonderful Thanksgiving filled with loved ones! Below are some of the pictures that have been sent to us from you over the last 7 months... if you are not on there... send us a picture! Click on any picture to see it larger.
Much Love,
-Michele-
Happy Thanksgiving!
I hope this years holiday finds you happy and healthy and celebrating with family and/or friends, eating to your hearts content, and watching the Broncos bounce back after Sunday's meltdown. :) I was fortunate enough to catch my first football game of the season yesterday...unfortunately it was the last 10 minutes of the Bronco-Chargers game. These 10 minutes of football reminded me of the joy of the game and frustration and pain of being a loyal Broncos fan. I don't know if I was the best ambassador for the great sport, because the only thing worse than talking and pleading to a television screen in the privacy of your own home is yelling "Plummer!" from the depths of your soul while watching in a guesthouse full of Thai people who A) don't know anything about football and B) don't know what "Plummer" means. All things considered, I wouldn't change a thing...except for not having to yell "Plummer!" so much.
Other than watching my team fall apart and getting extremely homesick thinking of the holidays, everything is going really well (just trying to be dramatic). For those of you who didn't get Michele's last update, I'll try to summarize the latest...
Michele doesn't have rabies and is completely healthy. We changed our plans to be as safe as possible and are currently traveling in Northern Thailand while she receives her 5 shots. A very friendly house cat bit her on the hand in Southern Laos, and we came back to Thailand to get the vaccine in safe conditions (Laos is classified as a Third World Country and using needles was a concern...not to mention availability of the vaccine). No big deal in the grand scheme of things, and the only noticeable side effect for us is MIchele's new found, ridiculously unhealthy fear of cats. :)
So what have we done with our time? We've had fixed travel periods in between shots (2 days, 3 days, 7 days, 14 days) and have used them to explore central and northern Thailand. In the last 3 shots, we have visited Kanchanaburi (famous for the Bridge over the River Kwai where 98,000 people died building the Death Railway to Burma during WWII), the old Thai capitals of Ayuthaya and Sukothai, and have developed an expertise in Bangkok public transport (we've had to return to Bangkok for each shot).
We are currently in Chiang Mai, the second largest city in Thailand and old capital of the north. The north is very beautiful and we have enjoyed getting back into the green mountains, visiting gorgeous temples (called wats in Thailand), and learning about ethnic minority tribes that inhabit the Burmese/Thai/Laos border region. Michele has also spent her time developing a workable knowledge of Thai (something I gave up on when we left for Laos). A commendable feat.
Tomorrow we're going to start our final 10 day trip before the last shot by traveling along the Burmese/Thai border and hopefully learn about the Burmese refugees that have fled the instability in Myanmar. I really wish we had more time to explore the region to learn about these people and hear their stories, but we'll have to make due with the time available. If you're interested in the current situation in Myanmar/Burma, a good source is www.irrawaddy.org. Myanmar/Burma has one of the most oppressive governments on the planet and the plight of its people has been overlooked by the rest of the world. The United Nations is looking like they might finally take action, so, if you are interested, now would be a good time to get involved and put pressure where it's badly needed.
I know this is a pretty general and uninteresting update, but it's been so long that I just need to catch people up to speed. I sincerely hope to put more thoughts about our trip and what I'm experiencing into these emails, and, believe me, there are a LOT of thoughts to put down, but it'll have to wait for a future date. I hope that date comes soon. :)
So that's us. How are you doing? What's news? I hope all is well with you and your family.
I want to send my love and best wishes to everyone for Thanksgiving. I don't know how else to put it, but I've been thinking about a lot of things with the upcoming holidays and I hope you know how much I care for each and every one of you. I know it's cliche, but traveling and seeing how people live around the world (and how I relate to that big picture) have helped me to better appreciate all the beautiful things in my life. I am so thankful to have so many great teachers, friends, acquaintances, etc in my life, and I thank you for giving me so much. There are so many things I'm grateful for this year, but, as always, the people in my life are right on top of the list. I think about you every day and wish you nothing but happiness.
Happy Thanksgiving!
love,
jason
I just wanted to send a quick email to say Happy Thanksgiving to everyone!
There is nothing like travel to remind me just what I am thankful for and this trip has done a particularly wonderful job. The first and most obvious thing traveling reminds me of is all of the people I respect, admire, and care about that distance constricts contact with (each and everyone of you have been hand picked for this mass email because of this very reason - whether you like it or not). I am very thankful for the role each of you has played in my life and look forward to all of our future interactions.
Secondly, I am thankful for the living circumstances I have been born into. I am able to find a job... even be choosy finding a job, I can live in a home with a spare bedroom if I like, I can own a car and go wherever I like, I can get a free education and go onto advanced schooling if I like, I can speak my mind, I can form groups to change my government, I can be proud to be a woman, I can live without fear of bombs and guns, I can practice whatever religion suits me best, I have health care, I have a government that (generally) works for me, I have clean water, I have sanitary clinics, I have safe roads to travel on, I have heat in the winter, there is little trash in my streets, there are so many things I have to be grateful for... I am fortunate because many people around the world cannot say the same thing about their living conditions.
Now my challenge is not to take these things for granted, to never complain about what I have, to wake up each morning thankful for everything around me, to be truly alive in the moment, to make sure I am not taking more than my fair share, and to live each day working to better these conditions for myself, my children, and others around the world.
I will end this email here and wish all of you a wonderful Thanksgiving filled with loved ones! Below are some of the pictures that have been sent to us from you over the last 7 months... if you are not on there... send us a picture! Click on any picture to see it larger.
Much Love,
-Michele-
Happy Thanksgiving!
I hope this years holiday finds you happy and healthy and celebrating with family and/or friends, eating to your hearts content, and watching the Broncos bounce back after Sunday's meltdown. :) I was fortunate enough to catch my first football game of the season yesterday...unfortunately it was the last 10 minutes of the Bronco-Chargers game. These 10 minutes of football reminded me of the joy of the game and frustration and pain of being a loyal Broncos fan. I don't know if I was the best ambassador for the great sport, because the only thing worse than talking and pleading to a television screen in the privacy of your own home is yelling "Plummer!" from the depths of your soul while watching in a guesthouse full of Thai people who A) don't know anything about football and B) don't know what "Plummer" means. All things considered, I wouldn't change a thing...except for not having to yell "Plummer!" so much.
Other than watching my team fall apart and getting extremely homesick thinking of the holidays, everything is going really well (just trying to be dramatic). For those of you who didn't get Michele's last update, I'll try to summarize the latest...
Michele doesn't have rabies and is completely healthy. We changed our plans to be as safe as possible and are currently traveling in Northern Thailand while she receives her 5 shots. A very friendly house cat bit her on the hand in Southern Laos, and we came back to Thailand to get the vaccine in safe conditions (Laos is classified as a Third World Country and using needles was a concern...not to mention availability of the vaccine). No big deal in the grand scheme of things, and the only noticeable side effect for us is MIchele's new found, ridiculously unhealthy fear of cats. :)
So what have we done with our time? We've had fixed travel periods in between shots (2 days, 3 days, 7 days, 14 days) and have used them to explore central and northern Thailand. In the last 3 shots, we have visited Kanchanaburi (famous for the Bridge over the River Kwai where 98,000 people died building the Death Railway to Burma during WWII), the old Thai capitals of Ayuthaya and Sukothai, and have developed an expertise in Bangkok public transport (we've had to return to Bangkok for each shot).
We are currently in Chiang Mai, the second largest city in Thailand and old capital of the north. The north is very beautiful and we have enjoyed getting back into the green mountains, visiting gorgeous temples (called wats in Thailand), and learning about ethnic minority tribes that inhabit the Burmese/Thai/Laos border region. Michele has also spent her time developing a workable knowledge of Thai (something I gave up on when we left for Laos). A commendable feat.
Tomorrow we're going to start our final 10 day trip before the last shot by traveling along the Burmese/Thai border and hopefully learn about the Burmese refugees that have fled the instability in Myanmar. I really wish we had more time to explore the region to learn about these people and hear their stories, but we'll have to make due with the time available. If you're interested in the current situation in Myanmar/Burma, a good source is www.irrawaddy.org. Myanmar/Burma has one of the most oppressive governments on the planet and the plight of its people has been overlooked by the rest of the world. The United Nations is looking like they might finally take action, so, if you are interested, now would be a good time to get involved and put pressure where it's badly needed.
I know this is a pretty general and uninteresting update, but it's been so long that I just need to catch people up to speed. I sincerely hope to put more thoughts about our trip and what I'm experiencing into these emails, and, believe me, there are a LOT of thoughts to put down, but it'll have to wait for a future date. I hope that date comes soon. :)
So that's us. How are you doing? What's news? I hope all is well with you and your family.
I want to send my love and best wishes to everyone for Thanksgiving. I don't know how else to put it, but I've been thinking about a lot of things with the upcoming holidays and I hope you know how much I care for each and every one of you. I know it's cliche, but traveling and seeing how people live around the world (and how I relate to that big picture) have helped me to better appreciate all the beautiful things in my life. I am so thankful to have so many great teachers, friends, acquaintances, etc in my life, and I thank you for giving me so much. There are so many things I'm grateful for this year, but, as always, the people in my life are right on top of the list. I think about you every day and wish you nothing but happiness.
Happy Thanksgiving!
love,
jason
11.10.2006
Laos... Where?
Our stay in Laos has been limited to only a few days. The border control did let us into the country despite our outward appearances and we even made it all the way down to the beautiful islands in the southern part of the country (formed my the Mekong River not the ocean - for those of you looking at your maps wondering what I am talking about). While there we stayed in a small, quaint bungalow perched on stilts over the river. Each night we slept under a thatched roof with the sounds of crickets near-by (Jason hated it... his biggest fear... if one gets near him he screams like I do when many things get near me ;) ), until that is... we were forced to flee back into Thailand. After only 3 days of sipping coconut juice from a straw stuck in the top of a coconut that the guest house owners daughter just climbed a tree to retrieve for us was too soon to leave for our tastes... but that is what the situation demanded...
The Situation:
One day as I was heading to brush my teeth before bed, minding my own business, and out of the shadows leaped a ferocious animal that attacked my hand tearing away my flesh and leaving two marks about the size of the tip of a fine point pen. I bled a little. After being slightly stunted and feeling a bit as if I had been the culprit of a terrible act of terrorism, my first instinct was to run to Jason. Hand outstretched I showed him my minor wound with tears in my eyes and pointed to where the assault happened.
Strategizing Next Steps:
After cleaning out the wound, that stopped bleeding long ago, we discussed our strategy. Feeling that the lighting fast animal would be hard to catch for any acts of revenge we decided to focus more on the prospects of rabies. Rabies is a virus that is spread through the saliva of animals and people almost always die once symptoms start to show, which can be anywhere between a week to a couple of years after the bite. Over 50,000 people a year die from rabies and, although, it is not a huge problem in America due to the fact that most animals people typically come into contact with are vaccinated from the virus but in many countries (such as Laos) it is epidemic. People do not have the means to vaccinate their children from common childhood diseases so you can imagine how many pets get their shots. (side note: we read today that China has just created a law that restricts it's citizens from having more than one pet in efforts to curb rabies which killed over 2,000 Chinese in 2004 - only 3% of pets in China are currently vaccinated) In order to ensure the virus does not take over the body, a series of 5 shots over a month and a special "lifesaving" shot immediately after the bite is given.
Our choice was either to take our chances and hope that this crazed animal was not one of the few animals with rabies or to be safe and get the shots. After talking with the US Embassy in Laos we learned that rabies, although rare, is still a big concern and that it is recommended to get vaccinated... in Thailand, as they cannot votch the sanitary conditions of clinics in Laos. Because I am fortunate enough to have the money to afford the shots (which my travelers insurance ended up paying for), the ability to travel back to Bangkok, and the fear of an AIDS infected needle we decided to head back to Thailand. Thus we are in Bangkok again. Which really isn't such a bad spot to be.
In the process of making this decision we thought a lot about our privilege to be able to afford insurance versus that of those around us who would not be able to afford such a simple life saving shot.
The Updated Plan:
I got my first three rounds of shots were in Bangkok. Tonight we will leave and make our way to Chang Mai over the next week where I will get my forth and then head towards Udon over the next two weeks were I will get my last shot before hopping back into Laos, hopefully for more of a sustained period of time.
So when I was writing everyone from India complaining about being sick all of the time I am sure many of you wanted to write back and tell me to quit drinking the water (which I did not do for all of you who were temped to do so ;) ) but I do give you permission to scold me for being silly enough to pet (which is what really happened) the animals in rabies infected countries, even the cute ones.
Below is a picture of the culprit showing little apathy and regret the next day, as well as an updated picture of the two of us... that's right my hair is SHORT... it is the consequence of differing fashion opinions between cultures.
Wat Champasak:
Si Phan Don Islands:
The Situation:
One day as I was heading to brush my teeth before bed, minding my own business, and out of the shadows leaped a ferocious animal that attacked my hand tearing away my flesh and leaving two marks about the size of the tip of a fine point pen. I bled a little. After being slightly stunted and feeling a bit as if I had been the culprit of a terrible act of terrorism, my first instinct was to run to Jason. Hand outstretched I showed him my minor wound with tears in my eyes and pointed to where the assault happened.
Strategizing Next Steps:
After cleaning out the wound, that stopped bleeding long ago, we discussed our strategy. Feeling that the lighting fast animal would be hard to catch for any acts of revenge we decided to focus more on the prospects of rabies. Rabies is a virus that is spread through the saliva of animals and people almost always die once symptoms start to show, which can be anywhere between a week to a couple of years after the bite. Over 50,000 people a year die from rabies and, although, it is not a huge problem in America due to the fact that most animals people typically come into contact with are vaccinated from the virus but in many countries (such as Laos) it is epidemic. People do not have the means to vaccinate their children from common childhood diseases so you can imagine how many pets get their shots. (side note: we read today that China has just created a law that restricts it's citizens from having more than one pet in efforts to curb rabies which killed over 2,000 Chinese in 2004 - only 3% of pets in China are currently vaccinated) In order to ensure the virus does not take over the body, a series of 5 shots over a month and a special "lifesaving" shot immediately after the bite is given.
Our choice was either to take our chances and hope that this crazed animal was not one of the few animals with rabies or to be safe and get the shots. After talking with the US Embassy in Laos we learned that rabies, although rare, is still a big concern and that it is recommended to get vaccinated... in Thailand, as they cannot votch the sanitary conditions of clinics in Laos. Because I am fortunate enough to have the money to afford the shots (which my travelers insurance ended up paying for), the ability to travel back to Bangkok, and the fear of an AIDS infected needle we decided to head back to Thailand. Thus we are in Bangkok again. Which really isn't such a bad spot to be.
In the process of making this decision we thought a lot about our privilege to be able to afford insurance versus that of those around us who would not be able to afford such a simple life saving shot.
The Updated Plan:
I got my first three rounds of shots were in Bangkok. Tonight we will leave and make our way to Chang Mai over the next week where I will get my forth and then head towards Udon over the next two weeks were I will get my last shot before hopping back into Laos, hopefully for more of a sustained period of time.
So when I was writing everyone from India complaining about being sick all of the time I am sure many of you wanted to write back and tell me to quit drinking the water (which I did not do for all of you who were temped to do so ;) ) but I do give you permission to scold me for being silly enough to pet (which is what really happened) the animals in rabies infected countries, even the cute ones.
Below is a picture of the culprit showing little apathy and regret the next day, as well as an updated picture of the two of us... that's right my hair is SHORT... it is the consequence of differing fashion opinions between cultures.
Wat Champasak:
Si Phan Don Islands:
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