Thailand

Learned about Jim Thompson and his involvement in the silk trade and his mysterious disappearance!

This is the living room of his house, it was soo pretty and open!
Really fierce statue outside of Wat Pho
Beautiful gold reclining Buddha at Wat Pho in Bangkok

And here is another part of Bangkok, the giant raised walkways and subway tracks dominate the skyline

This is Bangkok - its pretty big and busy!

One of the fire throwers! They were really fun to watch

Shelley and I sending up a lit paper lantern, the heat from inside the lantern sends it floating up into the sky!
Really nice craftsman that dives for shells and then sands them into jewelry

Daw, one of the ladies that gives massages on the beach with some of the island children!

One of the beaches of Ko Samet

Thailand:

It was so strange to get on a plane and jet over to Bangkok, but it was fun! Somehow Shelley and I met up at the airport, despite the fact that it is soo massive and wholly overwhelming, especially after getting used to the pace and lifestyle of Phnom Penh.

Its always funny how traveling can involve so many modes of transportation, from the subway to a bus to the back of a pickup truck to a boat to an other truck! Gezz I’m tired about just thinking about it. Now I often get frustrated when traveling to unfamiliar places and on busses for unknown periods of time, but its all a learning experience and I made it there and back in one piece!

I enjoyed relaxing on the beaches of Ko Samet for 3 ½ days with Shelley. I enjoyed just lounging around, reading The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo, and taking dips in the ocean. One day we took a boat to some other near by island and went snorkeling! At night time we camped out at one of the many beachside bars/restaurants and watched the local islanders put on a fire twirling show!

I spent one day in Bangkok at the end of my trip, and what a change of pace it is from both the island and Phnom Penh, it is such a big city! I went and saw the Jim Thompson house – which was delightful and I just wanted to move right in, and then the giant reclining Buddha at Wat Po! I also took in the spectacle of some of the massive shopping malls they have! Their food court seemed to go on for miles!

Arrival to the other side of the world

So the pictures are uploaded in reverse order so start from the bottom and scroll up - maybe Ill do it differently next time, but above is the sun set on the flight from from Seoul to Phnom Penh
I didnt take business class tho I would have been nice on such a long trip!
The slippers they gave me on the 13 hr haul from LA to Seoul!
Korea from the Air
I was however lucky enough to score a first class upgrade on the first leg of my flight on Virgin America! It was a pretty sweet way to start my trip! the seat fully reclined- perfect for napping!

Well I survived the three long plane flights it took to get here but now I have to survive the jet lag! I am staying at the Mad Monkey Hotel here in Phnom Penh which is a fine place to stay until I have an apartment. I am eager to get settled and unpack my bags once I have a place to live. I met some nice people while in transit. One girl was on her way to travel around South Korea and Japan, and another has come to Phnom Penh to work in an orphanage. I was so excited/ nervous when I got off of my last plane that I forgot to take any pictures at the airport that say welcome to Cambodia! But I have taken pictures from my trip along the way and have taken a few since I have gotten here. So far things are going smoothly and better than my stint in Ghana, although I dont know if I can really compare them, but there are some similarities and differences.

I have met mostly everyone here at the IDE office where I will be doing my practicum and everyone is very welcoming! I have my own desk in an air condidtioned office and am excited to start actually working once I have gotten enough sleep and can think straight.

The weather is hot but not so unbearable, but then again I havent been walking around so much just yet.