Holly's Holiday

Here is a video that better shows the beauty of Koh Rong, the...

Sun, 13 May 2012 21:32:30 -0400

Here is a video that better shows the beauty of Koh Rong, the most relaxing place I have ever traveled.

Cambodia-Part II I am so happy I was able to go back to...

Sun, 13 May 2012 18:22:18 -0400

Sunset

Goodbye friend.

Novice monks wanted to say hi.

Monk bath time.

New friends!!!

Seriously, most beautiful ever.

Beach Bonfire

Paradise? - I think YES!!

Main road, not kidding.

Beer-check, beach-check, life-priceless.

Cambodia-Part II

I am so happy I was able to go back to Cambodia and see the beaches that I had heard so much about. I can honestly say I have seen the most beautiful sunsets in Cambodia and one of the top experiences of my life occurred there. Granted I did go back to spend time with someone, but that didn’t work out as well as I would have liked. Instead I made new friends, traveled to a remote island and ate some delicious food. I flew back into Phnom Penh then headed to Sihanoukville beach, then to Otres Beach to sleep in a hut on the beach. It was there I made some great new friends and ditched the spoiled brat I had come with. With my new friends I headed to Koh Rong, a remote Island with no cars, roads and only a few people living there. Magical is the word I think of to describe my visit there. White sand beaches, crystal blue water, phosphorescent plankton, beach bonfires, lightning storms, and many other amazing experiences, it is east to see why people stay there longer than anticipated.

Goodbye Vietnam!! Those were words that I was happy to be...

Sun, 13 May 2012 17:49:22 -0400

Boat trip through delta.

Kanun = Jackfruit.

Kwai = buffalo relaxing & cooling off.

Graves placed randomly all over Vietnam.

Mekong Delta

Siagon traffic.

Political propaganda everywhere.

War Museum

Goodbye Vietnam!!

Those were words that I was happy to be saying; to start it is not a country that I want to go back to. Right from the beginning things seemed off, for one the people never smile. You may think who cares if they smile, but it was really strange as everyone in the other countries I visited couldn’t stop smiling. You get the feeling that the people there don’t really want to be in their own country. My friend Kellie and I immediately got scammed out of money with our taxi driver then had difficulties with finding the guesthouse. The next day we were able to take a tour to the Mekong Delta, which was really nice despite the fact that our guide kept trying to sell Vietnamese women to western tourist. Another of the sites we visited was the Vietnam War Museum, which had some different perspectives about the war then what I remember learning. All in all, I was very happy to go back to Thailand but can say that Vietnam is the country that probably taught me the most on this trip.

“See you later Nan.” This town and it’s people...

Wed, 18 Apr 2012 05:48:20 -0400

My Thai family & "see you later" party

My friend Bang came to say goodbye.

Family mom, Nomm.

The fishing crew.

Dana, would not leave my side this week.

Sunrise over Nan river.

“See you later Nan.” This town and it’s people have been so good to me I am really going to miss everyone.

Kanchanaburi is an amazing little town in central Thailand that...

Wed, 18 Apr 2012 05:18:40 -0400

SOOOO awesome!

Tiger temple, in Kanchan.

Tiger decided to pee when it was my turn

Bridge over River Kwai.

7th tier at Erawan.

Erawan waterfall.

Huge monitor hanging by the falls.

Cadao temple with the sunset.

Kanchanaburi is an amazing little town in central Thailand that has a ton to offer. First we spent the day trekking through the 7 tiers on Erawan waterfall, which is the most popular in Thailand because of how huge and beautiful it is. The fish like to come up and nibble on your skin so that means you get a free spy treatment, just watch the big ones. Next stop was Bridge over the River Kwai at sunset. Neat piece of history and you can see all down the river. After such a long day we spent the next afternoon visiting the Tiger Temple, and walking huge animals that could kill us. It was a little scary to see them sometimes go into stalking mood, they really like to chase kids cause they are small. Tigers were great and it was an experience I will not soon forget, but not recommended for children.

Cambodia Part I –Angkor Wat Getting to Cambodia was quite a...

Mon, 16 Apr 2012 00:18:00 -0400

Welcome to Cambodia.

Siem Reap always looks this cool.

Sunrise over Angkor, stunning.

I have a lot of pictures like this.

Walls are covered in beautiful art.

Naga and lion to protect the Wat.

I did feel a little like Lara Croft.

Amazing sculptures.

Also feels like Indiana Jones movie.

Yeah, I know it's amazing.

Cambodia Part I –Angkor Wat

Getting to Cambodia was quite a trip, a long train ride, then a tuk tuk to the border, then from there another 6 hour bus ride. However, Angkor Wat was worth all the travel hassle, I have never seen anything more ancient and magical. Majestic would be the word to describe what being there was like, I really felt like Indiana Jones or Lara Croft the whole time. The county of Cambodia itself is not so beautiful, very flat. However, going to the smaller cities and you really fall in love with the place, the people are friendly, the food is delicious, and there is a lot of interesting history there. If you don’t know what Ankgor Wat is then I suggest you look it up, in short ancient ruins that are Cambodians pride and joy. I was also able to stop on Phnom Penh and see the Khmer Rouge 21 museum; I choose not to take pictures as it is such a recent catastrophe. Again, if you are like me I did not know anything about it before coming here plus I was not old enough to remember what happened, but please look it up. Besides that I was able to meet some really great people who showed us around town and invited me to come back soon. Which as you can see this blog is part one, meaning part two coming soon as I head back to Cambodia to see more.

Songkran!!!!!!!! ...

Sun, 15 Apr 2012 23:24:00 -0400

Got to start it off with my neighbors.

Down the main street in Nan city.

Water wars begin.

Students love to get me soaked.

Day 2 hanging with friends.

Relaxing by the river.

River market and tubing.

About to get powdered.

Covered in baby powder and soaked.

Songkran!!!!!!!! April 13-15

The New Year’s water festival in Nan was amazing! I am so happy that I was able to come back to my home town to celebrate the Thai New Year. Chiang Mai was nice to start it in but it was also just a lot of drunken “farang” (white people). In my small town of Nan it was the students and community I have come to know and love that were having a blast. Day one I was able to join my neighborhood kids and through water from the back of a truck. They really loved being able to throw it at their friends once it was ice cold. Day two, I joined my friends for a more adult version of Songkran. There was music and powdering people’s faces from a spot on the main street, plus a few beers and food. Day three, a more relaxed day of sitting by the river and watching kids tube, it is considered more of a family day and less crazy. I then continued the day with a drive on the back of a motorbike for more soaked fun. At the end of the day I can leave here saying that Songkran is one of the best experiences of my life and I am thrilled I got to spend it in the town I love so much.

Monks love to sing and chant.

Wed, 14 Mar 2012 04:14:00 -0400

Monks love to sing and chant.

Laos!!! After finishing classes and having a few days to...

Wed, 14 Mar 2012 03:49:00 -0400

Laos Buddhas at Wat.

Beautiful gardens and lanscaping by Wat.

Packed bus ride, stinky and hot.

Relaxing lunch by Nam river after bus.

Beautiful Vang Viane

Hot air balloon ride here we come!

With the Pilot, awesome!

Steps to Tham Lung cave.

Swim in blue pool after the steps.

Laos!!!

After finishing classes and having a few days to relax at home it was time to get started on some more traveling. A couple of friends made a stop at my place and then we were on our way to Laos. After a very long 4 bus rides we made it through the border and to the capitol Vientiane. It was so much hotter than I anticipated, sticky and muggy the capitol only has a few places to really see. We only stayed on night then moved to our next stop four hours north.

Vang Viang is worth the stinky, sweaty, dusty bus ride needed to get there. It is well known for its beautiful nature with cool caves, refreshing rivers and gorgeous mountains. The views were amazing, especially looking out of our $7 a night hotel window. As we were settling in we looked out our window to see a hot air balloon drifting down the river and I took it as a sign that we needed to do that next.

All I need to say about the hot air balloon is totally amazing!!! We had such a packed day that it was off to cave hiking next, and a refreshing swim in a blue lagoon. To end our day we had to participate in what Vang Viang is famous for, which is drinking buckets of booze while tubing down the river. Those are some pictures that I will have to think about before posting to a blog. ;)

Now I am off to more adventures starting with a trip to Cambodia and then Vietnam, so happy I am able to have this amazing experience. Love you all!!

Northern Thailand

Tue, 28 Feb 2012 09:39:23 -0500

Northern Thailand:

A friend of mine made this and I wanted to share because this is now what my life is all about. So happy I am able to see these beautiful places all the time. I have not made my own simply because I prefer to keep both hands on the bike while driving. ;) Enjoy!

Natanaburi National Park & Phu Tub Caves Aside...

Tue, 21 Feb 2012 05:50:19 -0500

Camping!!

Nature hike.

Phu Tup Caves.

Cave

Bells for monks in cave.

Cave bugs, gross.

View from my backyard + thunderstorm

Reason for always checking shoes.

Fellow teachers from Tha wang Pha

Teacher crew

Natanaburi National Park & Phu Tub Caves

Aside from the fact that I got food poisoning and have had stomach cramps, this has been a very lovely weekend. It all started when I was able to have a small party and introduce some of my local friends to some new foreigners. Everyone seemed to have a great time and it was a wonderful way to start the weekend. However, the next morning I woke up feeling weak and with a slight fever. Thinking it was a hangover I pushed myself and went on a trip anyway, it was food poisoning which only got worse.

I was able to pull myself together enough for a camping trip to beautiful Natanaburi National Park in the north of Nan. I had some friends Tracy and Joey come up to meet so we could drive our motorbikes through some amazing scenery. We were also able to make a few stops along the way. First we visited some friends (Josh and James) in Tha Wang Pha, they were the ones who recommended the campground. The site was beautiful, a gorgeous nature hike and a group of puppies that followed us everywhere. Only downside sleeping, it got pretty chilly at night.

Just imagine me with a fever, curled up with Tracy and Joey on wood with tiny blankets. Mai Sanuk! Next morning we took our time coming back, & stopped to check out the Phu Tub caves. When I am feeling better and more prepared I will have to go back and do some real cave trekking. Till then all was of course beautiful and I ended my weekend with a great trip. Thanks again Tracy and Joey for making this actually happen.

Just another day in Thailand. I suppose I have not written...

Sat, 04 Feb 2012 05:03:26 -0500

Teacher dinner.

New friends Sunny, Bang & Khun Pan.

Yum, Dodo cutting up dinner.

Friend Yut has three lab puppies.

New haircut!

One of my classes.

Student day games.

Math project, they are so creative!

Just another day in Thailand.

I suppose I have not written another blog in a while because I have been staying in town and feel like I really haven’t done anything too exciting. However, that is not the case, even staying in town offers me a new experience every day. For example, I made some friends with my neighbors and they have been trying to teach me Thai. The entire neighborhood is close and always tries to include me if there is an activity. I was able to cheer for my neighborhood football team, was invited to a huge fish dinner, recently went fishing and am constantly handed an adorable baby to hold. There really is not much I can complain about; these are the reasons I came here. Being able to experience the Thai culture and divert from the tourist path has been a really great thing for me. So although I do not have any super “crazy” photos to share with you I would like to share some photos of my daily life with you. Enjoy!

“VIEWER DISCRETION IS ADVISED” Some content may be...

Fri, 06 Jan 2012 06:33:50 -0500

The prize fighter

Cages for roosters

Ring

Wrapping the legs

Cheering them on.

Not that bad.

“VIEWER DISCRETION IS ADVISED” Some content may be disturbing to some readers, for example my sister Shannon (just skip this blog). As I have previously mentioned I often awake to the sound of multiple roosters doodling in the early morning hours. It has been especially wonderful since suddenly the roosters seem to have increased two fold and now frequently have “doodle offs” at all hours of the day. I simply thought waking up to roosters was a common occurrence for living in Thailand. However that is not exactly the case, I actually live next door to a cock fighting ring. I am not really sure how I missed this? They are now starting to bring more roosters in and I have the feeling that the season has just started. It is not as bad as the states, there are no razor blades attached to the feet and the roosters seem to be bigger than average. They actually put wraps around the legs so they don’t blind each other with talons. I was told that a prize rooster is around 2000 baht ($60) and they are well taken care of. Of course there are hazards with the sport, but often it is just viewed as a fun local thing to go see. As I have never been to one in the states I can’t really compare, but as far as I can tell it doesn’t seem like such an awful thing. People might not like this, but at least when they fight they are not doodling, which is what really bothers me. Hope this blog didn’t piss off too many of my animal activist friends.

Koh Chang or bust. Happy New Year!! Hope all my family...

Tue, 03 Jan 2012 04:16:22 -0500

K-oh Chang!!!

Welcome.

Oh Thailand.

Monkeys!!

Snake show.

The captain loved me.

Everytime he saw me, "Hotel California!"

Dinner and drinks on the beach.

Fire dancers for New Years

Love my life!

Koh Chang or bust.

Happy New Year!! Hope all my family and friends had an amazing time. I was fortunate enough to make it down to beautiful Koh Chang. After a grueling 16 hour drive I arrived at the second largest island in Thailand. Boy was it worth the drive, lush green forests, monkeys everywhere, beautiful beaches and warm relaxing water. The majority of the trip was phenomenal! However there were some scary moments for me. (Mother if you’re reading this please skip these next few lines). One of them was driving a motorbike through huge hills and dangerous, windy roads on the island. My hotel was far from the bigger beaches and in order to meet with some friends I rented a motorbike, which I soon discovered had very little brakes left. After making it to the big beach safely, I was able to enjoy the sunset and go for a calming swim.

Although the beach was amazing I really had to prepare for my drive back to the hotel. Since it was late in the evening and there being no lights on the road I was driving extremely slowly. So slow in fact, that a pack of wild dogs was able to chase me for several blocks before giving up at the next hill. After that excitement I chose to abandon the motorbike idea and go for boat rides instead. I went on an all day snorkeling trip and meet some nice people. I was also able to see some marvelous sunsets and lots of fish.

It was a busy weekend; next I saw a snake show, for those of you wondering, yes they actually kiss cobras on the head. After that I ran into a huge family of monkeys and for those of you that know me I really had to brave it up and get close enough for a picture of this monkey family. To top it off I had a huge meal with some friends on the beach. We enjoyed some excellent drinks, fire dancers and tons of fireworks to ring in the New Year. Cheers to another inspiring year to come!!

“The lovely thing about Christmas is its compulsory. Like a...

Tue, 27 Dec 2011 08:46:00 -0500

Happy Holidays!

Patiently waiting for gifts

Waiting for a present.

Farang Christmas Feast.

Holiday games.

I wanted to steal this baby, so cute.

Happy Holidays!

Ride to the hike.

Waterfall hike with the gang.

Stick bug on hike.

“The lovely thing about Christmas is its compulsory. Like a thunderstorm, we all have to go through it together.” –School Director.

Every English teacher was asked to write a statement about Christmas, this particular one was just so great I had to share. Christmas has come and gone and I really can’t say I was lonely or feeling sad. I was able to spend the Holiday with some friends in the next province and ate a huge western meal. Then we played games, sang songs and drank too much. The only difference between this Christmas and all the others I have celebrated was the absence of family.

However, that void was filled with the wonderful feeling of giving toys to some children in a small, underprivileged town. These children were adorable, patient and polite. I am really impressed with the children in Thailand, they are always excited to see you, very respectful and seem to really enjoy being with each other. All too often you hear about students in the US being victims or participating in bullying. Why is it that I see very little of that in Thailand? Could it be the strong family/community structure? The high unconditional respect for teachers and adults? Whatever it may be, students are the one making me fall in love with the place more and more every day.

To complete my holiday weekend I went on a beautiful waterfall hike, saw a stick bug, rode the motorcycle with some friends, and had another delicious meal. Nothing to complain about here, happy holidays to everyone!!!

“Waiting for the sun.” –Stephanie Vishab ...

Tue, 13 Dec 2011 09:54:00 -0500

Little dancer.

Karen long neck hill tribe.

White temple Chiang Rai.

Don't stop, they will take your spirit.

So adorable.

Black house art Museum.

White temple.

Top of Phu chi fa, very cold & foggy.

Jade buddha, wat Phra Keow

Warm waterfall, from hot springs.

“Waiting for the sun.” –Stephanie Vishab

Chiang Rai was a little cold but beautiful as Thailand always is. The weekend seemed to fly by, I meet my friend Stephanie and hike the famous Phu Chi Fa Mountain. Phu Chi Fa is well known for its amazing sunrises, or so we thought. Stephanie and I waited with about a few hundred other tourists for this amazing sunrise. Unfortunately, the weather did not want to corporate and we instead enjoyed some adorable children dancing at the top of the mountain. This trip has only confirmed that I will probably end up bringing a Thai baby back with me. I am so in love with these little kids!

Besides the set back of no sunrise, everything else went smoothly. We were able to check out the famous White temple, Black House art museum, Jade Buddha, warm waterfall and the hill tribe village. White temple has a lot of modern art and depictions of current events, there is a painting of the twin towers with some crazy meanings but I was unable to take a good photo to share. Also for some odd reason Thailand has this weird love for making “Predator” sculptures, painting, helmets and I am sure many other things I have yet to encounter. In front of Whit Temple there was a Predator crawling out of the ground toward a skull and bottle of whiskey (Gotta Love Thailand!). To say the least the city of Chiang Rai was peaceful, gorgeous and has a ton to offer any traveler. Till next time Sa wa dee ka!!

Please check out my rafting trip.

Tue, 06 Dec 2011 09:32:25 -0500

Please check out my rafting trip. :

River rafting in Mae Charim National Park down the Nam Wa river. For obvious reasons I did not want to take my own camera but please check us out. A friend runs the Nan tourist site and posted them for us. Enjoy!

“Me and my Monk” This blog is dedicated to Katy. This was...

Tue, 06 Dec 2011 05:45:06 -0500

Katy posing it up.

Tuk Tuk ride, blurry defines the night.

Famous night market.

On our way to zip lining.

Went down that tree!

So much fun!

The Crew!!

Everyone stopped and lit a candle.

Notice the dogs.

Wat Jedee Luang during the day.

“Me and my Monk”

This blog is dedicated to Katy.

This was quite a bitter sweet weekend for me; I enjoyed some new experiences but am losing a friend (blog to come about that). After another 6 hour drive we went back to Chiang Mai, since two days was not nearly enough time. This time we planned to have some relaxed time as well as exploring and adventures. First evening included lots of Tuk Tuk rides to bars, where you can’t dance or buy a drink very easily. In Thailand you have to have a reserved table, then you stand around it with music blaring and a server mixing you drinks. When you actually try to go to the bar they look at you like you are crazy and point you to a small bar to order very expensive beers, with no dancing.

Next morning was a cool overcast day, which was perfect since zip lining in the jungle can get hot quick. We were able to join the “flight of the gibbons” tour and started at an early 6:45am. The tour is amazing and one I would love to do again, only drawback is there are not many gibbons to see. The only ones you get to see are a small family that is feed by the owners. However, flying through trees and enjoying the beautiful jungle as far as you can see was an amazing experience.

Later that evening we were able to enjoy the many festivities for the King’s birthday. It was a phenomenal moment when an entire city of people stop, light a candle, then sings the birthday song for the king. We were lucky enough to be at one of the oldest temples in Chiang Mai when this happened. Wat Jedee Luang was constructed in 1401 but was destroyed by a big earthquake in 1545. It is a magnificent structure where many temple dogs live. Thai people will not move or harm the dogs in the temple because it is believed that they are reincarnations of former monks.

This brings me to my next day, next to this temple is an activity called “monk chat”. You guessed it; you can sit with a monk and ask all the questions you ever wanted. It was a great experience meeting Phra Olay, who was about my age and has been with the monkhood since he was thirteen. I will not go into detail about what we discussed but I feel very grateful for the opportunity to learn so much. In the end he left me with the message of, “if you do not have a purpose in life, then what are you really doing? So I leave you with the same message, “do you really know your purpose in this life?”

Chiang Mai-Birthday Celebration I asked the Thai...

Mon, 14 Nov 2011 07:36:41 -0500

Chiang Mai Khom festival

Bamboo Rafting

Harder than it looks

Elephants resting from work.

River front property

Freaking beautiful

Amazing view

Guide was great

Ox cart ride

Orchid farm

Chiang Mai-Birthday Celebration

I asked the Thai teachers how birthdays are celebrated here and they explained that during a birthday you do not celebrate yourself but instead pray and say thank you to your parents. It is really more of a parent’s celebration day (plus if you say it is your birthday then they expect you to pay for everything that day). However, I was lucky to have some western friends around that paid for my drinks and meal. (So thank you parents for having me & thank you Katy for the drinks!)

After spending so much time in a small town and being some of the only farang. It was a little weird to see so many white people in Chiang Mai. It is not a huge city but was very touristy due to Loy Krathong over this past weekend. For the weekend we joined a tour which picked us up and included elephant show, elephant ride, bamboo rafting, ox cart ride, and orchid farm. From 8:30am to 4:30pm, all for the price of 1000 baht which is about $33 US dollars. Can you believe it? In the US something like that would have cost a couple of hundred dollars. The short of the story is I had an amazing birthday and am so blessed to have so many amazing people in my life. Thank you all for the birthday wishes!

Loy Krathong- Part two Thailand’s big festival...

Mon, 14 Nov 2011 05:05:00 -0500

One of the large Krathongs

Students making krathongs to sell.

Lighting our Krathongs

Floating the bad down the river

Some are made from ice cream cones

Students help us light the Khom loy.

Ready to float away

Each light behind us are river krathong

Loy Krathong- Part two

Thailand’s big festival (Loy means to float; krathong refers to the banana boat leaves used to float down the river). The Thai people make a banana leaf and flower float that they send down the river with a candle praying for good luck and forgiveness. The krathong is used to send the bad thoughts or obstacles away from your life. Even for a smaller town there were thousands of floating Krathongs in the river and it is something that I will never forget.

The second step is to create balloon that you light and send into the sky which is called “khom loy”, which mean floating lantern. You send the lantern up to pray and wish for a happy year. People should make a wish for the next year and ask Buddha for good luck. This was one of the most beautiful and pleasant experiences that I have ever had. To see whole families come together and lift the lantern into the sky was a really magical sight. I am so happy I was able to experience this celebration in a smaller town with friends. In Chiang Mai the entire sky was filled with lanterns because there are so many more people and it is a popular tourist attraction. This is a beautiful tradition that I one day hope to recreate in the states for a special time in my own life.