well a week ago i was in snow and now im wearing a skirt and a tank top and sweating. ive gotten used to the weather for the most part but my hands still wont stop sweating. i feel like a nervous 6th grader! i have to say that i love thailand as much as i thought i would, at least thus far. it has only been a week but i have kept myself busy for sure. getting settled into the big house where i will live for the next year, eating many new dishes at the best places in town to eat vegetarian fare, meeting the teachers, and (most exciting as of yet) staying in floating bungalows in the rainforest!
i finally arrived on thursday, met most of the teachers and got settled in. friday was spent awake only 5 hours,
sleeping the rest. saturday i awoke refreshed and we (the teachers and thai staff) left for the Rajjaprabha Dam. It is situated in a national park in the middle of the rainforest. It was a two hour drive, then an hour long boat ride to the bungalows. This place is amazing, I kept reminding myself that in fact this was my real life, not a dream! The mountains were huge, the sky huge, and water huge! The most amazing shades of blue and green I have ever seen. The bungalows were a row of twenty one room huts made of bamboo and palm leaves with two mattresses in each. you could see the water through the slits of the wood in the flooring. the bathrooms were a quick walk along the wooden walk-way to the closest piece of land. we ate breakfast, lunch, and dinner at the main patio part with the rest of the campers. it was a weekend of swimming, kayaking, exploring, and fun!
more to come once i figure out how to rotate pictures!
Oh my goodness, Stephanie! Youre pictures are beautiful. They gave me goosebumps looking at them, probably because I am sitting in a cold house wearing 2 pairs of pants. I can't wait to see it for myself, it sounds amazing!
ReplyDeleteWow Steph, as I look at the pics and read about your experience, I'm reminded of stories in a issue of National Geographic magazine - but you are actually living it! Sounds like you had a wonderful new-comer, Thailand excursion. I loved your comment about the dishes on the plane to Korea from your first posting....only you Steph would find such joy in the color and sizes of the serving dishes!
ReplyDeleteclam hands!
ReplyDeletethe photos are perfect. mmmm would i love to swim in that water. if it was warm, of course. can't even imagine swimming right now, it's hard enough to get in the shower here in columbus. i'm glad you aren't having trouble finding something to eat that is vegetarian!
FLOATING BUNGALOWS. omg. i can't believe your life right now.
xo, rach
i can't believe your life right now either. who actually gets to see those images in real life?? i can't even imagine how breathtaking it is. but i'm gonna try! make the pictures bigger so it's easier for me to live vicariously through you :)
ReplyDeletegood luck as you continue settling in. love you!
jen
Way cool Steph! I'm so happy it's living up to your expectations!!! What a cool experience and only in the first week. Can't wait for the next post. Miss you. - Shannon
ReplyDeleteStephanie!! Your blog is my new favoite piece of literature! I'm thinking about you here in the 2 feet of snow that you're missing out on! Keep posting -- I'm loving reading and seeing your photos!
ReplyDeleteLeora
can't wait to read about thailand and southeast asia through YOUR eyes, steph.
ReplyDeleteso happy you've come! i'll miss you.