Beach day

We went back to Koh Larn, the island with the monkeys. This time, we went to a different beach and I liked it so, so, so much better! No monkeys. White, powdery sand. Crystal clear water. Ahhh, it was relaxing. Except for the sunburns. When we got home and took our swimsuits off, it looked like we were still wearing them...but white. Lesson learned, hopefully!

Chang!

Chang is the thai word for elephants. We were out in service in a kind of rural area the other day and look what we came across! Elephants crossing the road! I have kind of mixed feelings about it though. On the one hand... Elephants! I love these animals, they are so amazing. But on the other hand, I have heard some sketchy things about the way they are treated at these touristy places. So I don't know. But they sure are majestic.

This day in service was fun. Usually we are right in the middle of the city, but our pals Glen and Janelle had some country territory that we got to work in. It was a really scenic drive out there, as you can see in one picture, we passed a brightly colored temple. I got a nice call with a Thai woman named Paan. I spoke to her over her garden wall as she was watering her flowers. She had on a pretty little straw hat. I wish I could have taken a picture of her!

More food...

The first picture is of a man on the beach pouring out fresh honey! Yum!

The next two are from a little food cart just down the street from our apartment. In one bag he puts noodles, green onions and bean sprouts. In the next bag he spoons in piping hot broth and sliced port. He ties them up with a rubber band and then gives us the usual condiments: sugar, vinegar with chillies and hot chilli powder. Take out noodle soup for 30 baht, about one dollar.

The next little picture is of a delicious snack we had in service the other day. Smashed plantains that are skewered and then grilled, when you order them the dip the whole thing into this thick caramel sauce. So good.

The Last picture is for Sarai! Its a soup called Tom Kha Gai and is one of my favorites. Coconut milk, lemongrass, fresh cilantro...mmmm it is so good and spicy!

Cheers...

Scenes from Service

The people here are lovely. Very kind and polite. Lots of smiles. Cute little kiddos too! When we go out on Saturdays with the Thai congregation, we take huge groups into the territory and flood it. We are reminded of the scripture that likens us to locusts...yeah, I can see why that is fitting!

A nice thing about Thailand is that you are never far away from a mini-mart or a 7-11. Don't laugh. I'm being serious! I have really come to appreciate 7-11's here. First of all, walking into one is like walking into a refrigerator, which is oh so refreshing on a hot and humid day (everyday here). Also, at these 7-11s and mini marts there are all sorts of interesting snacks and cold drinks for very cheap. Do you want potato chips that are bacon and seaweed flavored? What about dried squid strips? Or perhaps kiwi juice with jelly and collagen? No? Ok, ok...what about some iced coffee and a toasted ham sandwich? 7-11 has it all my friends. It is a common break spot out in service. There is one picture in this post that shows us on break with many of the Thai brothers and sisters, but its at a family run market, not an air conditioned one.

Koh Larn

Here are more pictures from the island of Koh Larn. It was very colorful and cute. Like I said in the previous post, I really want to go back and do a little exploring, see if there are some nice beaches there. It is so close, just a 45 minute ferry ride. And the ferry cost 30 baht, which is about one dollar. A cheap and easy getaway!

Funky Monkeys

Jason wanted to know if we had seen any monkeys yet. Well I did a few weeks ago. I thought they were kind of gross so I never posted anything about them. But maybe you will like them. I dedicate this post to Jason Hernandez:-)

These particular gross little monkeys live on an island that is a 45 minute ferry ride from Pattaya. I went there with a group of sisters, (and one brother) a few weeks ago. Jake was home sick that day. The island is called Koh Larn. Apparently it has some decent beaches, but the beach we went to was famous because of the monkeys. People buy bags of bananas and feed the little guys. The result is a bunch of fat, sassy and rude little monkeys. All the girls in the group were excited about feeding them, they bought the bananas and all that. I was sad because I thought the bananas were for us...no really, I did. So everyone climbed the little embankment to feed the monkeys and I was the only one left down on the beach to watch. Now scenes from that new "Planet of the Apes" movie were still fresh in my mind but I didn't want to seem like an animal hater, so I went ahead and followed them. When we got up there, not only were there monkeys to gawk at, there were scantily clad European tourists as well (bonus points for whoever can spot the guy in what I am sure are his underpants!) Well like I said before, the monkeys were kind of rude and sassy. Once they realized our group had bananas, they began surrounding us. Then a couple of the monkeys jumped onto the backs of a couple of the girls in our group. Well, THAT was exciting. But then, the monkey that jumped onto Kristen's back decided to use her shoulder as a toilet. Number Two. Enough said. Once I saw that, I was like "I'm outta here". I couldn't leave fast enough! Fortunately, we were at the ocean and so Kristen was able to jump in and wash off. So you see what I mean about the monkeys being gross.

I would like to go back and visit that island, but I will steer clear of the monkey beach. And I will buy a bag of bananas and eat them myself!

The quieter side of Pattaya

It's true that Pattaya is a crazy city. In fact, we keep seeing a slogan around here that says "Good guys go to Heaven, Bad guys go to Pattaya"...yikes! However, one doesn't have to go too far to really see a simple and more tranquil part of Thailand. Here a few pictures that illustrate that. The picture of the monks was taken from our back balcony. The monks get up early and take bowls and start walking through the city and countryside where people fill their bowls with food. We have also seen people bowing down, lighting incense and chanting at the feet of the monks, even if he happens to be quite young.

The other pictures were taken from the back of the scooter while Jake and I were exploring the countryside just outside of the city. It had just finished raining and the air felt cool and clean. People were out fishing and seemed quite friendly.