You know what I don't like about Kewsua?
All of the creepy crawlies that share our "barn", which Stacia has begun somewhat less than affectionately referring to as the "rat palace". The other night I woke up and heard the unmistakable sound of a rodent rustling through the plastic bags stored near the kitchen. I lied there petrified, a series of thoughts racing through my sleepy brain. Thoughts mostly involving my hopes that the rat was small, and alone, and would stay as far away from my room as possible. Then I started to get a little angry about that damn cat I've been sneaking food and antibiotics too... why isn't the cat chasing the rat away?? Isn't that what cats do?? I hoped the rat would just leave... I tried not to think about how much I needed to use the toilet, and wondered what the chances were that my mosquito net would keep a rat out of my bed... not great, I figured. I finally just turned my iPod on and listened to music until I willed myself to fall back to sleep. Aaack. We have taken to leaving the bathroom light on, since it seems that's where the rats are entering, and for the last two nights I haven't heard them. I have also stopped feeding the cat in the hopes that she'll work up an appetite and get back to work. You may think this is cruel, but there are probably not RATS running around your house.
In addition to the rats, there are ants, and spiders big enough to make you jump a little when you see them. Occasionally Stacia or I will walk into the kitchen or bathroom and there will just be a swarm of ants on the wall. In fact, this is so common, that most often our reaction is something along the lines of "Hmmm... I wonder what those ants are after?" I can't imagine how quickly I'd have the Orkin man on the phone if I were at home, but up here, there is just not a lot that can be done. The night before last, I noticed a particularly large spider in the bathroom. It looked a little menacing and had some weird markings on it's back that made me think it might be just a little bit poisonous. I mentioned it to Stacia, but the thing was really high up on the wall, and out of my reach. A little later, Stacia goes in to use the bathroom and notices it has moved which kind of freaks her out. I decide I can be brave and kill the spider (this might give you an idea of how BIG the thing was, normally I have some compassion and will try to "catch & release" the spiders, but we honestly did not have a glass in the house big enough to trap this beast under). I go into the bathroom with a chair and armed with a house slipper. Stacia's there to watch. I look at her and say, "Don't scream, OK? You'll make me fall off this chair." Stacia is the kind of girl you just know is going to scream about the spiders. So what happens? What always happens when you try to kill a big spider. I take a whack at it with the slipper and it runs away. Stacia starts screaming bloody murder and I scream too, mostly because Stacia's screaming has completely freaked me out. "I'm sorry! I'm sorry!" Stacia says. She grabs a bottle of 30% DEET mosquito repellent and says, "Here! Use this! This will kill it!!" The spider is almost out of reach, but I spray it with a few bursts of the "Sketolene" and it just starts running around like crazy. Stacia screams again. "Stop it! Stop screaming!" I yell (this is totally helpful, by the way). I start trying to smash the spider with the slipper and it keeps getting away from me, and now I'm just really hoping it's not some kind of jumping spider that's going to attack me. My heart is racing, and the thing runs into a crack between the wall and a little shelf. Except I can still see most of it because it's so huge. I manage to kind of wedge the slipper behind the shelf and the spider falls, which sets Stacia off again screaming, and then I scream a little too and kind of make that crying sound from the carwash story (if you don't know this story, I'm just going to have to tell you this one live, later). Then, all the craziness is over and the poor spider has been put out of his misery (this probably took about 30 seconds, tops) and Stacia and I just look at each other and start laughing hysterically.
Later, we were talking about what all the villagers must think of us, and I said, they have to think we're crazy, but clearly they're not all that concerned about us, because they just heard us screaming as if someone may have been trying to murder us and no one even bothered to come knock on our door to see if we were alright. So there you have it. I just hope a tiger doesn't sneak in one of these nights...
Sunday, February 24, 2008
Friday, February 22, 2008
Just nod if you can hear me...
One of my favorite things about the Thai language (other than the fact that you don't have to conjugate verbs) is that it's really kind of poetic. Case in point, the phrase "Do you understand?" is "Kao jai mai?", which literally translates to "Heart enter, no?" There's something I like about this, the idea that as I'm asking if someone understands me, I'm asking if what I've said has entered their heart.
I've also learned though, that the phrase "Good job!" in English, uttered with the inflection you might expect from an enthusiatic nanny/teacher/budding SLP sounds exactly the same as the Thai word for "fart". The kids, especially those older boys, snicker every time I slip and say this. It's fun for everyone...
OK, here's a question... who's reading this lately? C'mon, write me a note, leave a comment, something.... ;)
I've also learned though, that the phrase "Good job!" in English, uttered with the inflection you might expect from an enthusiatic nanny/teacher/budding SLP sounds exactly the same as the Thai word for "fart". The kids, especially those older boys, snicker every time I slip and say this. It's fun for everyone...
OK, here's a question... who's reading this lately? C'mon, write me a note, leave a comment, something.... ;)
Tuesday, February 19, 2008
Don't you know it's gonna be alright...
I'm feeling almost carried away by the energy in the village these past couple of days. Yesterday afternoon a group of high school students from an American school in Japan arrived to help build a new kitchen for the school here in Kewsua. These kids are a phenomenal bunch, and I am so impressed by their commitment, excitement, and starry-eyed idealism. Their student leader/president of their service organization is a sweet kid named Carson (his name alone was enough to make him an instant favorite) whose future plans include attending Georgetown University next year, joining the Peace Corps, and "changing the world".
It is hard for me to find words to describe what it's like to be here at this time and watch as Stacia's hopes and dreams for this little village start to come to fruition. It is inspiring to say the least. By Thursday, the students at Kewsua school will have a brand new kitchen, much bigger and much more solidly built than it's predecessor. In mid-March, construction will begin on a new dormitory for the children from nearby villages that walk in to school each Monday morning and stay for the week. Soon after, a cafeteria will be completed. All of this was made possible because Stacia showed up here 7 months ago and decided she wanted to help these kids.
Gandhi said, "You must be the change you wish to see in the world." Stacia is such an incredible example of what can be accomplished when just one person decides to "be the change" and get the ball rolling... the series of fortunate circumstances that have unfolded, and the number of people that have aligned to help accomplish the goals that she set forth is truly amazing. I feel honored and privileged to be here now, to not only witness what is occurring, but to get to be a part of it. You can read more about Stacia's story and motivation and plans here. And while you're at it, check out what my friend Mandy has been up to in India. These girls are fantastic...
And speaking of feeling inspired... here's something else that has me feeling inspired lately. I know I'm a day late, but linking to this in honor of President's Day, and with hope that he's next...
It is hard for me to find words to describe what it's like to be here at this time and watch as Stacia's hopes and dreams for this little village start to come to fruition. It is inspiring to say the least. By Thursday, the students at Kewsua school will have a brand new kitchen, much bigger and much more solidly built than it's predecessor. In mid-March, construction will begin on a new dormitory for the children from nearby villages that walk in to school each Monday morning and stay for the week. Soon after, a cafeteria will be completed. All of this was made possible because Stacia showed up here 7 months ago and decided she wanted to help these kids.
Gandhi said, "You must be the change you wish to see in the world." Stacia is such an incredible example of what can be accomplished when just one person decides to "be the change" and get the ball rolling... the series of fortunate circumstances that have unfolded, and the number of people that have aligned to help accomplish the goals that she set forth is truly amazing. I feel honored and privileged to be here now, to not only witness what is occurring, but to get to be a part of it. You can read more about Stacia's story and motivation and plans here. And while you're at it, check out what my friend Mandy has been up to in India. These girls are fantastic...
And speaking of feeling inspired... here's something else that has me feeling inspired lately. I know I'm a day late, but linking to this in honor of President's Day, and with hope that he's next...
Sunday, February 17, 2008
I am who I am, who I am... who am I now? Requesting some enlightenment...
So this post might be a little "out there" for some of you, so bear with me,
or skip it, or just read it and shake your head and roll your eyes a bit...
or just maybe, notice a little bit of magic...
Stacia and I went for a little hike yesterday, something that has become an
almost daily habit, another of my favorite things about hanging out in this
little mountain village. We got back, tired after the looooong hill climb
back up to our little house, and decided to be good girls and do crunches.
After finishing that little exercise in torture, we're lying down on a grass
mat in our living room, exhausted. We start talking about the project Stacia
has undertaken up here, raising funds for a new kitchen and dormitory for
the schoolchildren (a project, by the way, that I am much overdue in writing
about and will fill you in on shortly... as I type, villagers are breaking
ground for a 6X6 meter concrete slab that the new kitchen will sit on, and
this evening a team of volunteers will arrive to begin building... you can watch a quick video of this here). So, Stacia and I are discussing how sometimes you just feel drawn to a place... sometimes after visiting, you just know you're going to return. And I start
talking about the Philippines, how when I left there, I knew I wanted to go
back. I'd actually already told Stacia about my time there, how much I
enjoyed it, the people I met and all of that. But as we were lying there on
the floor in our little "barn" I started talking out my "plan" for what a
return to the Philippines might look like. I told her about Shannon and Seth
and how they talked about putting up some cisterns in Reney & Zosama's
cornfields, and maybe installing some solar panels. I talked about putting
together a small team of maybe a couple of SLP's and perhaps an optometrist
(ahem... if only I knew some of those...) and doing some vision and hearing
screenings for the school children and maybe even some speech & language
evaluations if we could get hooked up with a speech pathologist that speaks
Cebuano. I said I figured if we got connected with an NGO in the Philippines
and were able to gather some donations, we could make a 3 week trip to Cebu
and accomplish all of these things. Stacia concurred, and offered some tips,
and said, you know, I think I'd like to go along...
So, cut to an hour later, we've eaten a little dinner and are sitting around
chatting. We decide to pull out these "angel cards" that Stacia has. A
little like Tarot cards. "Same same, but different", as they so often say
here in SE Asia. I go first. Shuffle the cards and wonder what to ask. And
so, I say, "I want to know what my life's going to be like when I get home."
I continue shuffling the cards and begin to sort them into 3 piles. As I do this, I notice there's a card turned facing the wrong way in the deck. A quick consult to the Angel Card Guidebook, tells me to set this aside as a "special message". I then take the top card from each of my three piles and turn it face up in front of me.
This is what I see. My special message: All is well. Everything is happening exactly as it is supposed to, with hidden blessings you will soon understand.
My first card, which the guidebook tells me is the "basis of the situation" I've requested information about, says "Brilliant Idea: Your idea is an answered prayer. Even though it might push you past your comfort zone, know that God doesn't give you anything you can't handle. Ask for, and be willing to receive, all of the support you need to bring the idea to fruition."
My second card, the "truth of the situation", says "Indigo & Crystal Children: You have a bond with children. In particular you can help children who are sensitive. Your life purpose involves helping & teaching children. You're here to help these children retain and amplify their psychic and spiritual gifts... you can help ensure their bright future, and I will help you."
The third and final card, described as the "resolution or outcome of the situation" says "Spread Your Wings: Don't hold back right now. The timing is perfect and you're ready to soar. Although you may feel intimidated by the prospect of change, and by the thought of moving past your comfort zone, you're ready to fly high. Welcome new opportunities and know it's safe to follow your heart and dreams. Keep your focus upon love, service, and spirit and avoid naysayers or skeptics. Remember that you inspire others with your story of turning challenges into victories."
This all kind of gave me the shivers... in a good way.
I'm thinking a return to the Philippines in 2009 sounds about right. I think I may have implicated a few of you as well, as far as "the universe" is concerned. Are you in?
More to come...
or skip it, or just read it and shake your head and roll your eyes a bit...
or just maybe, notice a little bit of magic...
Stacia and I went for a little hike yesterday, something that has become an
almost daily habit, another of my favorite things about hanging out in this
little mountain village. We got back, tired after the looooong hill climb
back up to our little house, and decided to be good girls and do crunches.
After finishing that little exercise in torture, we're lying down on a grass
mat in our living room, exhausted. We start talking about the project Stacia
has undertaken up here, raising funds for a new kitchen and dormitory for
the schoolchildren (a project, by the way, that I am much overdue in writing
about and will fill you in on shortly... as I type, villagers are breaking
ground for a 6X6 meter concrete slab that the new kitchen will sit on, and
this evening a team of volunteers will arrive to begin building... you can watch a quick video of this here). So, Stacia and I are discussing how sometimes you just feel drawn to a place... sometimes after visiting, you just know you're going to return. And I start
talking about the Philippines, how when I left there, I knew I wanted to go
back. I'd actually already told Stacia about my time there, how much I
enjoyed it, the people I met and all of that. But as we were lying there on
the floor in our little "barn" I started talking out my "plan" for what a
return to the Philippines might look like. I told her about Shannon and Seth
and how they talked about putting up some cisterns in Reney & Zosama's
cornfields, and maybe installing some solar panels. I talked about putting
together a small team of maybe a couple of SLP's and perhaps an optometrist
(ahem... if only I knew some of those...) and doing some vision and hearing
screenings for the school children and maybe even some speech & language
evaluations if we could get hooked up with a speech pathologist that speaks
Cebuano. I said I figured if we got connected with an NGO in the Philippines
and were able to gather some donations, we could make a 3 week trip to Cebu
and accomplish all of these things. Stacia concurred, and offered some tips,
and said, you know, I think I'd like to go along...
So, cut to an hour later, we've eaten a little dinner and are sitting around
chatting. We decide to pull out these "angel cards" that Stacia has. A
little like Tarot cards. "Same same, but different", as they so often say
here in SE Asia. I go first. Shuffle the cards and wonder what to ask. And
so, I say, "I want to know what my life's going to be like when I get home."
I continue shuffling the cards and begin to sort them into 3 piles. As I do this, I notice there's a card turned facing the wrong way in the deck. A quick consult to the Angel Card Guidebook, tells me to set this aside as a "special message". I then take the top card from each of my three piles and turn it face up in front of me.
This is what I see. My special message: All is well. Everything is happening exactly as it is supposed to, with hidden blessings you will soon understand.
My first card, which the guidebook tells me is the "basis of the situation" I've requested information about, says "Brilliant Idea: Your idea is an answered prayer. Even though it might push you past your comfort zone, know that God doesn't give you anything you can't handle. Ask for, and be willing to receive, all of the support you need to bring the idea to fruition."
My second card, the "truth of the situation", says "Indigo & Crystal Children: You have a bond with children. In particular you can help children who are sensitive. Your life purpose involves helping & teaching children. You're here to help these children retain and amplify their psychic and spiritual gifts... you can help ensure their bright future, and I will help you."
The third and final card, described as the "resolution or outcome of the situation" says "Spread Your Wings: Don't hold back right now. The timing is perfect and you're ready to soar. Although you may feel intimidated by the prospect of change, and by the thought of moving past your comfort zone, you're ready to fly high. Welcome new opportunities and know it's safe to follow your heart and dreams. Keep your focus upon love, service, and spirit and avoid naysayers or skeptics. Remember that you inspire others with your story of turning challenges into victories."
This all kind of gave me the shivers... in a good way.
I'm thinking a return to the Philippines in 2009 sounds about right. I think I may have implicated a few of you as well, as far as "the universe" is concerned. Are you in?
More to come...
Thursday, February 14, 2008
Nowhere you can be that isn't where you're meant to be...
Happy Valentine's Day.
Sending love and hugs your way from far, far away.
Life in the village continues to be quiet and peaceful and just what I need right now, I think. Early in the week the power was out for just over 24 hours, lending even more of a "Little House on the Prairie" feel to the whole experience. We got to eat dinner by candlelight, and spent several hours being entertained by the four 6th grade boys who came to visit, sitting on our living room floor in the dark, giggling and telling stories and trying out their English skills. One of them, Pucharipone, engaged me in a conversation reminiscent of many I have had with my cousin Josh. I like to call this one "Who Would Win in a Fight?" Though instead of action-movie hero matchups, Pucharipone was curious as to who would emerge victorious in fights between various teachers. I engaged him in this line of questioning for quite some time, until he turned to Ton (the Thai teacher) and asked her, "Kruh Ton," (kruh means teacher), "If you and Kruh Josie fight, who will win?" Ton answers, "We are friends! We don't fight!" Hmmm... yes, I suppose that is the more reasonable and appropriate answer...
Sending love and hugs your way from far, far away.
Life in the village continues to be quiet and peaceful and just what I need right now, I think. Early in the week the power was out for just over 24 hours, lending even more of a "Little House on the Prairie" feel to the whole experience. We got to eat dinner by candlelight, and spent several hours being entertained by the four 6th grade boys who came to visit, sitting on our living room floor in the dark, giggling and telling stories and trying out their English skills. One of them, Pucharipone, engaged me in a conversation reminiscent of many I have had with my cousin Josh. I like to call this one "Who Would Win in a Fight?" Though instead of action-movie hero matchups, Pucharipone was curious as to who would emerge victorious in fights between various teachers. I engaged him in this line of questioning for quite some time, until he turned to Ton (the Thai teacher) and asked her, "Kruh Ton," (kruh means teacher), "If you and Kruh Josie fight, who will win?" Ton answers, "We are friends! We don't fight!" Hmmm... yes, I suppose that is the more reasonable and appropriate answer...
Sunday, February 10, 2008
I was half a world away from my home...
So today marks both a week since I arrived in Kew Sua and five months since I left Seattle. I have this strange sensation that time is somehow speeding up.
This past week flew by. Any worries I may have had about being bored up in this little village were for naught. I have had lots of time to catch up on my reading, and my emails, (and my sleep!) but the days have felt pretty full. Maybe it's all the extra time it takes to do little things that would only take a few minutes at home (e.g laundry!). I think I've said this to a few of you already, but I solemnly swear that I will NEVER complain about doing laundry again. Hand washing an entire load of clothes with only a bucket and a spigot takes a loooooong time. I was having flashbacks to all those Laura Ingalls Wilder stories I read as a kid, as I heated up water for my showers and my laundry this week (yes, I've caved... I can't do the ice-cold shower every day, so I've taken to boiling water when I need to wash my hair).
Some highlights from this week...
- Teaching the 2nd grade English class all by myself (I'm picking in a little Thai... stuff like, "Do you understand?" "How do you say it in Thai?" "Do you like it?"). The kids in general seem pretty amused by me and are so far humoring my absolute butchering of their beautiful language (tonal languages are HARD!).
- Making friends with a little deaf boy in the 4th grade. He now comes and sits next to me every day so he can draw pictures and tell me stories about Spiderman... I'm getting better and better with my gesturing.
- A visit from the ice-cream man. Tracey and I about fell out of our chairs when we heard the tinkling tunes of the ice-cream man as he pulled into the village on Thursday afternoon. We just looked at each other wide-eyed. I can't even explain how remote this little village is. It sits on the top of a mountain overlooking a valley. The next "town" (there's a small mini-mart and a noodle stand there) is over 7 km away on a bumpy dirt road. The next city is about 35 km away. I have no idea where the ice-cream man came from, but he arrived with lovely, home-made ice-cream. It was frozen into waxed-paper wrapped tubes. He cut off short lengths and stuck them on skewers and was selling them for 5 baht each (about 15 cents). Tracey and I chipped in and bought ice-creams for all the kids who didn't have any money, much to their delight.
- A failed attempt at hitch-hiking into Sameung for the Strawberry Festival. Stacia assured us that it would be easy to catch a ride into "the city" and *everyone* hitchhikes in Thailand. Perhaps if we had started early in the morning we would have had some success. As it was, we walked for MILES over very hilly terrain and never made it to Sameung. I did get lucky and get a motorbike driver to take me the last 4 miles home...
- Painting a mural on the new wall in our little bungalow/barn. I think I told you that Chantip, the school caretaker/handyman built a new wall in Stacia & Ton's house to add a room for me and Tracey. We spent Friday night painting a totally girly mural on it (pictures on flickr).
-Eating sticky rice and larb made from raw pork with all of the other teachers. (I was the only falang (read: Westerner) brave enough to try this.)
Spending time in this village is certainly making me think about my life at home and the things I have so often taken for granted. I have spent some time thinking about what I really need in my life. Not just in terms of things, but in terms of space. We have so much of both....
More soon!
This past week flew by. Any worries I may have had about being bored up in this little village were for naught. I have had lots of time to catch up on my reading, and my emails, (and my sleep!) but the days have felt pretty full. Maybe it's all the extra time it takes to do little things that would only take a few minutes at home (e.g laundry!). I think I've said this to a few of you already, but I solemnly swear that I will NEVER complain about doing laundry again. Hand washing an entire load of clothes with only a bucket and a spigot takes a loooooong time. I was having flashbacks to all those Laura Ingalls Wilder stories I read as a kid, as I heated up water for my showers and my laundry this week (yes, I've caved... I can't do the ice-cold shower every day, so I've taken to boiling water when I need to wash my hair).
Some highlights from this week...
- Teaching the 2nd grade English class all by myself (I'm picking in a little Thai... stuff like, "Do you understand?" "How do you say it in Thai?" "Do you like it?"). The kids in general seem pretty amused by me and are so far humoring my absolute butchering of their beautiful language (tonal languages are HARD!).
- Making friends with a little deaf boy in the 4th grade. He now comes and sits next to me every day so he can draw pictures and tell me stories about Spiderman... I'm getting better and better with my gesturing.
- A visit from the ice-cream man. Tracey and I about fell out of our chairs when we heard the tinkling tunes of the ice-cream man as he pulled into the village on Thursday afternoon. We just looked at each other wide-eyed. I can't even explain how remote this little village is. It sits on the top of a mountain overlooking a valley. The next "town" (there's a small mini-mart and a noodle stand there) is over 7 km away on a bumpy dirt road. The next city is about 35 km away. I have no idea where the ice-cream man came from, but he arrived with lovely, home-made ice-cream. It was frozen into waxed-paper wrapped tubes. He cut off short lengths and stuck them on skewers and was selling them for 5 baht each (about 15 cents). Tracey and I chipped in and bought ice-creams for all the kids who didn't have any money, much to their delight.
- A failed attempt at hitch-hiking into Sameung for the Strawberry Festival. Stacia assured us that it would be easy to catch a ride into "the city" and *everyone* hitchhikes in Thailand. Perhaps if we had started early in the morning we would have had some success. As it was, we walked for MILES over very hilly terrain and never made it to Sameung. I did get lucky and get a motorbike driver to take me the last 4 miles home...
- Painting a mural on the new wall in our little bungalow/barn. I think I told you that Chantip, the school caretaker/handyman built a new wall in Stacia & Ton's house to add a room for me and Tracey. We spent Friday night painting a totally girly mural on it (pictures on flickr).
-Eating sticky rice and larb made from raw pork with all of the other teachers. (I was the only falang (read: Westerner) brave enough to try this.)
Spending time in this village is certainly making me think about my life at home and the things I have so often taken for granted. I have spent some time thinking about what I really need in my life. Not just in terms of things, but in terms of space. We have so much of both....
More soon!
Wednesday, February 6, 2008
The life I want to live in this quiet town...
I've been up in the village for 3 full days now. Starting to get used to sleeping on a cement floor, padded only by woolen blankets, and taking a shower that involves dumping buckets of VERY cold water over my head. It is definitely a simple life up here, and while I've had to forego a few luxuries, I find that I'm really enjoying myself. The kids are as much fun as I had remembered, and I'm having a blast trying my hand at teacher for awhile, as well as taking a turn as student and trying to soak up as much of the language as I can. Today I had to stand in front of the 5th & 6th grade classes and recite the days of the week in Thai (FYI... I was almost 100% correct... Thursday is giving me a bit of a problem though).
Stacia, the longterm English teacher here, is incredible, as is her roomate Ton, who has been cooking us delicious Thai meals every evening. My friend Tracey (we met in Moscow) has joined us for awhile, and it feels a bit like summer camp up here. I'm going to try to post some pictures so you get a sense of the place, and I will write more soon.
Stacia, the longterm English teacher here, is incredible, as is her roomate Ton, who has been cooking us delicious Thai meals every evening. My friend Tracey (we met in Moscow) has joined us for awhile, and it feels a bit like summer camp up here. I'm going to try to post some pictures so you get a sense of the place, and I will write more soon.
Friday, February 1, 2008
We all end in the ocean, we all start in the streams...
In theory, a two day boat trip up the Mekong River sounds exciting, and adventuresome, and perhaps romantic. In reality, it's just a really long time on a boat that isn't very nice. Having reached that point in my travels where my money really is worth so much more than my time, I decided that the 80+ hours of travel (including boat time, bus time, and 2-overnights in dodgy border towns) was worth it, seeing as it was less than 25% of the cost of flying (the flight's just under an hour, incidentally), and besides who knows when I might get this chance again?
I'm sure it's one of those experiences I'll look back on fondly, and in fact, the boat journey behind me, I'm already able to smile about a few of the more "exciting" highlights. Things got off to a bit of a shaky start when Amir & I arrived at the pier (early, as instructed) to find that we weren't taking the "nice" boat with the comfortable looking seats I'd been shown the day before, but a smaller, shabbier version with hard benches and thin cloth cushions. No worries, I thought, it's only for 9 hours (today!), right? I decided to put on a happy face, tucked into my breakfast baguette, and got ready for the adventure.
About 30 minutes later, I was thinking about how many times I've been told I'm lucky because I *never* get motion-sickness. Except, apparently, on a rocking boat in the middle of the Mekong. Ughh... things quickly took a turn towards miserable. I found a place to lie down behind the engine "compartment" and decided I would try to sleep. It's probably a testament to how badly I felt that I was able to sleep over the absolute racket of the engine. I tried listening to my iPod and was a bit concerned when I couldn't even hear the music at it's loudest setting. My mind wandered back to all those lectures about what levels of noise exposure cause permanent hearing damage and I rooted around in my bag until I found a pair of earplugs. I slept with the earplugs in and my hands clamped over my ears, for nearly 3 hours. Luckily I felt much better when I woke up...
We arrived in Pak Beng "The Jewel of the Mekong"... oh wait, that's Laos... around 6 pm. I cannot begin to describe to you how hard it was raining. It was almost laughable, except at this point, we were all pretty tired and crabby. And no less so after a half-mile climb up the hill into town. We finally ended up in a very shabby (but dry and at least relatively clean room) costing just about $3/night. You do remember the adage about getting what you pay for??
Another very rainy day on the boat today. I was snoozing and listening to some music this morning, trying to catch up on some of the sleep I didn't get last night, owing to the constant battering of rain on the tin roof, when a guy from New Zealand tapped me on the shoulder. I open my eyes, pop out my headphones, and he says, "We've just seen a tiger over on the riverbank." WHAT?? Story of my life... I miss all the good scenery reading or sleeping. :)
We arrived in Huy Xia this evening just minutes after the border with Thailand closed. I think there is some deal between the boat operators and the guesthouse owners in town. The room here is a little nicer and there's even a hot shower, so things are looking up. Tomorrow morning, I'll catch a quick ferry to the other side of the Mekong and I'll be back in Thailand. Sunday, it's up to the mountains for awhile.
I'm sure it's one of those experiences I'll look back on fondly, and in fact, the boat journey behind me, I'm already able to smile about a few of the more "exciting" highlights. Things got off to a bit of a shaky start when Amir & I arrived at the pier (early, as instructed) to find that we weren't taking the "nice" boat with the comfortable looking seats I'd been shown the day before, but a smaller, shabbier version with hard benches and thin cloth cushions. No worries, I thought, it's only for 9 hours (today!), right? I decided to put on a happy face, tucked into my breakfast baguette, and got ready for the adventure.
About 30 minutes later, I was thinking about how many times I've been told I'm lucky because I *never* get motion-sickness. Except, apparently, on a rocking boat in the middle of the Mekong. Ughh... things quickly took a turn towards miserable. I found a place to lie down behind the engine "compartment" and decided I would try to sleep. It's probably a testament to how badly I felt that I was able to sleep over the absolute racket of the engine. I tried listening to my iPod and was a bit concerned when I couldn't even hear the music at it's loudest setting. My mind wandered back to all those lectures about what levels of noise exposure cause permanent hearing damage and I rooted around in my bag until I found a pair of earplugs. I slept with the earplugs in and my hands clamped over my ears, for nearly 3 hours. Luckily I felt much better when I woke up...
We arrived in Pak Beng "The Jewel of the Mekong"... oh wait, that's Laos... around 6 pm. I cannot begin to describe to you how hard it was raining. It was almost laughable, except at this point, we were all pretty tired and crabby. And no less so after a half-mile climb up the hill into town. We finally ended up in a very shabby (but dry and at least relatively clean room) costing just about $3/night. You do remember the adage about getting what you pay for??
Another very rainy day on the boat today. I was snoozing and listening to some music this morning, trying to catch up on some of the sleep I didn't get last night, owing to the constant battering of rain on the tin roof, when a guy from New Zealand tapped me on the shoulder. I open my eyes, pop out my headphones, and he says, "We've just seen a tiger over on the riverbank." WHAT?? Story of my life... I miss all the good scenery reading or sleeping. :)
We arrived in Huy Xia this evening just minutes after the border with Thailand closed. I think there is some deal between the boat operators and the guesthouse owners in town. The room here is a little nicer and there's even a hot shower, so things are looking up. Tomorrow morning, I'll catch a quick ferry to the other side of the Mekong and I'll be back in Thailand. Sunday, it's up to the mountains for awhile.
Subscribe to:
Comments (Atom)
