Home again . . .

Well, I made it home on Friday morning! I managed to finagle my way onto standby for the LAX-IAH flight . . . that whole process of changing the flight was really very frustrating! WOW. But all is well, I made it home safe and sound . . .

Hopefully this video works! This is a video of the kids singing at their nightly devotions!

Leaving on a jet plane . . . I don't know when I'll be back again . . .

Hey all,

I'm off to the airport in about an hour. I am all packed and ready to go. My luggage weighs about a million pounds! :) Some things never change!
Anyway, please pray for us as we travel.
Goodbye from Thailand . . .

Susannah

One day left . . .

Hello,

Well, I FINALLY was able to change my flight home. It looks like I will be home on the 9th. I have a day layover in LA because all flights on the 8th were full--ARGH! Oh well. I plan on sleeping!
Anyway, we went to the orphanage to say goodbye last night! It was sad, but I know I will be back one day. The kids are so precious. I will miss them.
Well, it's our last day here, and who knows what we will be doing . . .We're going on a river cruise tonight for dinner, so that should be fun.

Write more soon! Please pray for us as we travel.

Susannah

Plans have a way of . . . changing

Hey all,

Well, it looks like I will be home a week or so early. My friend Cheryl ended up losing her passport at the last minute, so our entire trip has now been cancelled. :( Yes, I'm disappointed, but God knows best, and apparently, I wasn't supposed to go. I can deal with that. I've been busy trying to cancel hotel reservations and air flights (stupid Air Asia!) and just figuring out what to do.
I contemplated continuing by myself, but that's just no fun (and my family would kill me). I mean, I could totally do it and figure everything out, but how boring. I mean, Disneyworld in Hong Kong by myself--welcome to loserville! :)
Anyway, I've been at the travel agent and airport trying to change my flight home. After several attempts to call China Air (an airline which I do not recommend, by the way), I finally finagled my way onto standby for the Taipei-LA flight after speaking to an employee at the airport. It's not guaranteed, but it's something. The travel agent told me all flights on Air China were full--for the entire month--which I so did not believe. It won't cost me anything to change the date, which is good considering I'm now paying for parts of a vacation I can't take . . . but I may have to change my port to San Francisco or even Seattle if needed. Sigh. Please pray that everything works out!
On to happier things. The hotel I booked in CM for Cheryl and me is just beautiful. I couldn't cancel the reservation (must be within 7 days) so I decided to go anyway. Kris and Sara came with me, and we've really been enjoying this incredible oasis. The service here is exceptional--for example, last night we were coming home from the Night Market, and it was raining. We only had like 3 feet to walk in the rain, but the staff came running with umbrellas. And this morning we had breakfast in our room, which is just gorgeous. I want to take the bathroom sink home with me! We have decided to stay another night in this paradise--the change of scenery has been nice.
Ok, that's all for now. I'll post some pics soon. Again, please pray that everything works out and I won't be stuck in Taiwan!!!!

Susannah

A haircut and a movie . . .

#1: The absolute nastiest thing I have ever seen---a treat at KFC--a corn sundae!

#2: Kris, Sara, and me

#3: Jello from Sizzler

#4: Rotee--chocolate!

#5: My new hair cut!

#6: Cheeseburger and potato!

Hello!

Well, it's been a crazy couple of days! On Tuesday, after resting from our arduous journey to the Golden Triangle, we decided to take it easy and headed to the Airport Plaza. I had never been to this mall, but it was really nice--at least 4 floors, tons of shops and restaurants, etc. Kris, Sara, David, and I wandered around for awhile before deciding to see a movie. We picked Journey to the Center of the Earth--it cost 120baht (4 bucks). What a deal!

We were all starving by this point, so we headed to Sizzler for some American food. I had never been to a Sizzler before, but the moment I saw they had real ranch dressing, I was sold. I'm sure people were highly amused by our very concentrated efforts to eat as much food as possible. We filled our plates at the salad bar, and let me tell you, there was no conversation--we were way too busy stuffing our faces! I ordered a cheeseburger and a baked potato--it was so good! And they had jello! I was in heaven!

Anyway, we were a few minutes late to the movie, but we only missed a few previews. The movie theater was really nice. Plush red seats that reclined, carpet on the floor. When you buy your ticket, you choose your seats. We chose seats in row C, even though there were not a lot of people in the theater. The girl searched my bag to see if I had a camera--the pirated movie business is popular, as you can imagine. Before the movie started, they did this homage to the king. We all stood up and watched this short little clip showing pictures of the king, etc. Way weird!!! I guess it's the same concept of us standing up when the national anthem is played . . . still, it was very strange. Like they say here, same same but different! :)

After the mall, we headed to the orphanage to see the kids! They are so precious. They are quite a few who have stolen my heart! :) It's always nice to be able to see the kids and just hug them!

After the orphanage, we headed to dinner at the place I've named "The polka dot plate place" (pdpp for short); I had fried rice, even though I was not hungry at all! But pdpp has the best fried rice in the world, so I ate it anyway! UGH. After dinner, Kris, Debbie, Sara, and I all played Rummikub, which was really fun! I didn't win any games, though. :(

So anyway, on to Wednesday. We headed out with Tutu and headed to Lotus (again like Wal-mart) and got our hair cut! Kris, Sara, and I all decided to be brave and get our hair cut . . . I love my hair! And people, yes, those are BANGS. I had this gay guy cut my hair, which was interesting because I don't speak Thai, so I really had to trust that he knew what he was doing. The best part was that it cost . . . (drum roll please) . . . 160 baht! And they washed and dried my hair! That's 5 bucks, people. Wow. :)

Ok, after wandering around for 3 hours (Tutu was getting her hair straightened), we headed home. We rested a bit and headed to dinner. The place we wanted to go to was closed, so we ate rotee from a street vendor---flat fried dough filled with milk, chocolate, etc. YUM. We headed to another place for dinner, but the fried rice there was gross. Yucky. Then home, off to bed.

Funny moment: I received a phone call at 4:15 am this morning from my friend Bonnie. I was soooo confused. Apparently my phone is working, but I can't make calls . . . weird! I was so disoriented this morning, I said, "You do realize I'm in Thailand, right?" She was planning on leaving a message, but I picked up the phone. I hope that didn't cost me hundreds of dollars!

Well, it's Thursday morning here, and I have to get my laundry done today. Cheryl arrives on Saturday, and the third part of this trip begins . . . write more soon!

Susannah

Just another day . . .

#1: I know this picture doesn't fit (it was weeks ago), but this picture is for my dad--proof I did in fact have a python around my neck! (I made B be in the picture with me--look how uncomfortable he looks!)

#2: A fake smile at passport control--I was nervous!

#3: A normal street in Burma

#4: Lunch (much better than dinner, I can assure you)

#5: View from the bow of the boat (artsyish, I think)

#6: Kris and me in our little speedboat (we had way too much fun:)

#7: More Golden Triangle signs

#8: Interesting sign in Burma ("Let us all cooperate for eradication of narcotic drugs")

#9: Golden Triangle Monument

#10: A view from Thailand (Laos is across the Mekong River)


Hello faithful readers,

Once again, I find myself way behind on my blogging. Don't blame me, the Internet has been touch and go for a few days. While Saturday and Sunday were more relaxed (hanging out with the kids, church, eating sticky rice and chicken after church . . . same old, same old:) today (or rather yesterday for me--it's 12:15 AM) was one heck of an adventure!

It all started with Tutu. She wanted to take us up to the Golden Triangle (where Laos, Burma, China, and Thailand all meet) to visit and do some shopping. She's done the trip before.

Well, this "little" trip turned into an excursion (that was one of my 7th graders spelling words) with about 20 people--staff from the orphanage and widow's farm, some of the girls from the other team, a couple from Canada (Mike and Debbie's friends) and Kris, Sara, Debbie, Mike, David, and me! We had to rent two vans to get everyone there. The widow's farm was on the way, so we stopped there quickly to say hello to Tutu's family . . . it is about 5 hours one way up to the Golden Triangle, so it was quite a journey!

Anyway, we got there by mid morning (why yes, it was an early morning!), ate lunch (wait, let me guess ----RICE? And . . . CHICKEN? Yes, you are correct:) Actually, it was an eclectic mix of dishes, and it was GOOD.

After lunch we took lots of pictures and bought a few things, then headed down to the boats. Yes, people, boats. Have I mentioned I'm not that fond of small little boats, especially ones in dirty water??? (Flashback to Venice--me in a gondola) Anyway, it was a long "speedboat," and it was soooooooo much fun! We raced along the Mekong River and viewed Thailand, Laos, Burma, and China! Way cool! It was awesome to see all four countries in one sitting. We stopped on the Laos side to shop--it only cost 20 baht to walk around and shop. I bought quite a few things, mainly because everything was really cheap. It was really cool to be in Laos! :)

It was a HOT day, and pretty soon we headed back to the docks. I chose to sit in the very front of the boat by myself and it was a little scary, but thrilling, too. :) Honestly, where's my sense of adventure?

On to the next stop on the tour---heading to Mae sai (sp?) in Thailand so I could cross the border and get another 30 days in Thailand---my visa was going to expire on the 1st, and I really didn't want to pay 500 baht per day for staying over. I am sooooo glad Kris and Sara decided to come with my over the border, because frankly, border crossings scare me. It's always soooo serious, and you never really know what to do. Well, Burma was no exception. We walked through the Thai side and got our passports stamped and then had to walk down this street and enter where the sign said IN. We were guided into this room where passport control stamped our passports, took our pictures, and issued us 2 week visas for Burma. (2 weeks? Thanks but no thanks! I was only planning on being there an hour, at most)

Quick FYI: Did you know Burma and Thailand are on different times? Burma is a half an hour behind Thailand, which is way weird.

Anyway, we had to leave our passports with Immigration, which is always unnerving, and then we headed into Burma (or Myanmar, whatever. Burma is easier to say--and spell) and the difference between Thailand and Burma is very apparent. Hoards of beggars lined the street, people began harassing us to buy things, and we were definitely the only farangs (foreigners) around.

We caused quite the commotion, believe me. Guys kept coming up to us to sell us stuff--mostly boxes of cigarettes. I just said no, made a face, and started coughing:) Yucky smoking!

We looked around for awhile in the market and finally found a few things to buy. Passport control guys had asked us what we were going to do in Burma, and we made a big deal saying we were going to shop, so we had to follow through. We didn't have much time, though, so it was a race against the clock. Prices weren't much better there, I thought, but I'm sure the price was double for us anyway. It was an interesting place. Dirty, crowded, poor. It reminded me of Cambodia . . . sad.

Ok, so we have to leave, and on the way back over the border, we encounter a few beggar children. I ignore them, but Kris feels sorry for them (they will break your heart!) and goes to give them her spare change. BIG MISTAKE. Hoards of beggar children surround us in an attempt to get money. We were swarmed! It was sad, but you just have to ignore them, even when there's this little girl carrying a tiny little baby and looking at you saying "food?" This was sort of traumatizing for Kris, who claims she never wants to go to Burma again. Fine with me! I have the stamp in my passport, and it only cost 500 baht!

So! We filled out our arrival and departure cards as fast as possible (I hate those things!) and made it back into Thailand with no problems. That's an experience I will never forget!

Anywho, it's way past my bed time (considering I took a 15 hour excursion!!!) and who knows what's on the agenda for tomorrow???

Good night from Thailand! (Now it's almost 2 am:)

Miss you all!!!!

Susannah

Hot Springs are . . . hot

#1: Bible quizzing (that's Booey answering a question!)

#2: Me and Lak

#3: Ahtapa and Deet-Deet ("Trouble")

#4: Hot Springs resort

#5: Quail eggs

#6: Hot Springs

#7: Roasted pig and rice

#8: My new little friend, Malone

#9: Instructions for boiling the eggs

#10-11: "Yum, I love quail eggs--not!"

#12: My bed (yes, I've been making my bed every day:) I know it looks like I've kept my room neat, but it's really not . . .

#13: Putting the egg basket in the water to boil

#14: Egg statue at the Hot Springs

#15: Sara walking to Mike and Debbie's house (this is where I am living)

Hello!

Well, again, it's always an adventure here! Yesterday was supposed to be our relaxing morning, but Tutu told us to be ready to go to the Hot Springs at 11. So we traipsed off to the Hot Springs, ready to do some serious relaxing in the mineral water. Sara and I "swam" (more like sat) in the mineral pool for about an hour (and it was HOT) while Kris and Tutu had their own private little villa and hot tub. We also bought quail eggs to boil . . . yeah, that was kinda weird but cool. The quail eggs were in this little basket (like an Easter basket), and you just went up to this pool where the water was really hot and stuck the basket on the hook to boil the eggs. Then you sat around eating the eggs with soy sauce. It wasn't bad, but honestly, quail eggs are not my favorite. Anyway, it was a nice time and Tutu was so kind to take us to her favorite place to relax.

After coming home and taking showers, we headed off to the orphanage to hang out with the kids and have dinner. They had killed the other pig (another team arrived the other day) so we had roasted pig and rice. It was yummy! We spent most of the evening there, and then headed home. We opted not to go to the Night Market with the other group (it was raining) and just hung out and watched movies.

This afternoon (Sat.) the older girls are coming over for sewing and cooking lessons, so that should be interesting. And no, I didn't come all the way to Thailand to learn how to sew and cook! Anyway, I should be going . . . oh! By the way, that is NOT me holding that gross beetle thing in one of the previous pics--no way. That thing looked like a small bird flying around, and I tried to stay far far away (but close enough for a very cool picture!) CRAZY!

Miss you and love you!!!!!

Susannah

Pictures

Just a "few" pictures to share . . . they say a picture is worth a thousand words . . . I'm off to the Hot Springs this morning! :)

Randomness

Hello all!

Thank you for all your comments! I love hearing from you! I've been busy here, and the next few weeks will be crazy, I'm sure!

Just thought I would post a little update and tell you a few stories . . .

The other night we were heading back from the Night Market with Tutu. She was driving her son Daniel's car, a Honda Jazz (I think) and we got stopped during a routine traffic checkpoint. The police looked at us through the windows with little flashlights, and then made Tutu pull over to the side of the road . . . yeah, a little scary. I won't lie, my heart was beating, but I was really glad Tutu was driving and answering all the questions. Apparently, that type of car is frequently stolen, so they were just stopping all those cars and checking driver's licenses. An interesting experience, for sure!

Another fun story involves LICE. Yes, people, lice. I had a lice scare. Don't worry, I DON'T HAVE LICE! One of the interns, Rosie, has been deemed "lice girl" because she is fighting lice on and off. She has been buying lice shampoo and the little comb . . . I had a moment of itchiness, and I did use the shampoo and comb, but NO LICE FOR ME! Yay! It's the norm here for the kids to have lice, so they don't even freak about it, but us Americans recoil at the very mention of the word. :)

HAHA! Good times! Let's see . . . it's Thursday afternoon and we just sent most of the Virginia group to the airport. It's more of a relaxing day!

Yesterday was really fun! We went to Carrefour and got our hair washed and dried for only 5 bucks! It was much needed, I'm afraid. I don't use a blow dryer here, so bad hair days are the norm. At Carrefour, I helped Kris pick out her wedding outfit, and around 5 we left for the Wang Torn (sp?) Resort where Kris and Pat renewed their wedding vows. It was soooooo beautiful! It is their 20th anniversary, so it was really special they could be here to renew their vows and have their "Thai family" there! I was a bridesmaid, which was fun because we all held fans! So pretty. After the ceremony (and cake--yum) we went to see the kids at the orphanage and then headed to the Night Market "one last time" to eat and for the group to spend the last of their baht! It was a fun night--I ate at Subway, which was ok. They didn't have any pickles, so it was an odd tasting sandwich, but edible. At least it wasn't rice!

Well, anyway, enjoy the pics--I only have time to post a few! I miss you!

Susannah

Pic#1: the cute little boys

Pic #2: Pat and Kris!

Sun, sand, and sunburn

Pictures:

#1-#2: The Karon Beach in Phuket, Thailand (located about 2 hours by plane from CM; on the western side--Andaman (sp?) Sea (very beautiful water--shades of blues and greens)

#3: Random pic of my sandals and feet (yes, I was trying to be artsy)

#4: My favorite at the hotel restaurant: The Club Sandwich (NO RICE!)

#5: Our pool (yes, it had a waterfall--and a poolside bar, at which I ordered a few banana shakes:)

#6: The mountains (are so pretty!)

#7: Upon our arrival, Sara and I were given leis--very pretty!

#8: This is me, trying to appear optimistic, despite the rain! It did clear up, though, and the snorkling was awesome!

#9: Pretty island (not James Bond Island, though--that's farther north)

#10: The group (minus Pam) from Virginia . . . well, David is Thai, but he did live with the Counts in Virginia for a year! Anyway, from left to right: Sara (the one I "babysat" last summer), Kris, Sissy, John, Pat, and David is in the very front! We had a lot of fun together. :)

AND NOW, A WORD FROM ZAN . . .

Well, after a much needed break, I'm back from the beach. Our little group headed down to Phuket for a few days for some much needed R & R. We left Friday morning and came back to Mike and Debbie's house on Monday night. We flew to Bangkok first, and then down to Phuket. It was a long holiday weekend here, so getting tickets and everything arranged was a little stressful. We really didn't realize it was a Buddist holiday until we were at the travel agent and she pointed out that the direct flights were all full. Oops, I guess I should brush up on my Buddist holidays! :) Anyway, we got seats and arrived safely around 1 PM. I would give you a play by play of everything we did, but it wasn't much! We swam in the beautiful pool, played in the amazing waves, and ate some great food. The weather didn't cooperate every day, but overall it was really nice. I didn't wear sunscreen (when will I ever learn?) and I got FRIED on Saturday. Maybe it will turn into a very nice tan, but for now it's quite painful. Don't worry, I'll live!

It's low season at the moment, so we got a good deal on our hotel and the restauants and shop owners literally begged us to eat at their restaurants or shop in their stores. A few of the restaurants offered incentives if you ate there-- 25 % off, 15% off and free salad bar, 10% off, 1 hour free internet. Crazy! We ate most of our meals (no rice for me!!!!!!!!!) in the restaurant of our hotel---the view of the sea was beautiful and the food, although about double as much as CM, was really good. We also took a half day tour of the islands, but the weather was rainy for the first part of the morning. We were able to go snorkling, which was pretty cool. I'm not really a fan of swimming with the fishes, but they were beautiful, and the islands were very pretty, too. At one point, I held out a banana for the fish to eat, and the intensity of their attack on the banana caused me to: 1) scream and 2) drop the banana as fast as possible. Have I mentioned I don't like swimming with fish???? It was still awesome, though. A memorable moment, for sure.

At night we ventured out around our hotel and looked around the little beach town. We used the internet and walked through "Crazy Market" as we called it. The vendors there were really hurting for business, I guess, because they were soooooo annoying. The creepy part was that it was kinda deserted, so you couldn't really look at anything because they would just hound you to buy something, anything. Not cool. "Where you from? What you want to buy? T-shirts, over here. You want T-shirts?" No thank you!

Other than that, it was a very very nice break from the heat in Chiang Mai, and it was nice to have a break from this "go go go" lifestyle. Most of the Virginia group leaves on Thursday, so we are packing it in for the next couple of days. Last night we got back around 6 and headed to the orphanage for worship time. It was great to see the kids! After worship, we had to go to the Night Market so people could pick up their pictures they had drawn and get fitted for the clothes they had made. It was a long day, believe me!

This morning I woke up late (9 o'clock--haha), read a book, and now I am lounging around. The group headed off to the pottery place and the tribal village store, both of which I've been to, so I opted to stay home. I needed to use the internet anyway! We are headed to the orphanage when they get back, so I need to get stuff done. I have a few loads of laundry to do!

I miss you all! I cannot believe I've been here for 3 weeks already. The time is flying by!

I will write more soon!

Susannah

Ps. On the plane ride, David attempted to teach me Thai. Actually, it was a good lesson, and I'm really trying! He's a good "koon crew" (teacher), so maybe I'll come back this time knowing more than Hello and Thank you . . . we'll see. :)