Long Bay Resort - Koh Phangan

It was easy to leave Bangkok behind me as we boarded a flight to the south eastern region of Thailand, but the journey was going to take a day. An hour plane flight, a two hour bus ride, a two hour ferry ride, and then a forty- five minute taxi. We had been in Bangkok for just two days and were still adjusting to the time zone and the travel time seemed gruesome. I remained positive because I knew the result would be a bungalow on the soft white beach of Haad Yao. We had stayed here before, seven years ago for our month long honeymoon. The resort is a step up from the others on the beach. It has a pool, beautiful landscaping, and the bungalows have air conditioning and hot water showers. Now under new ownership, it also has much friendlier staff. In general, the Thais are some of the most gentle people one will meet. However, working in a demanding tourist environment can take its toll on a person, especially when travelers are demanding and rude. I noticed very little "please" or "thank you" from foreigners. It hard for me to understand because the Thais are stereotypically very kind, modest, and humble. So, I can sympathize with the locals that get tired of grumpy travelers. In any case, I was excited to be back at our old beach and my spirits remained high. Our bungalow faced the ocean and Gabbie and I embraced the view. We also began to wind down into vacation mode. We both swam, read, got massages almost daily, and ate some of the best Thai food I have ever had. When Gabbie booked the bungalow online she clicked the button that included dinner. Under new management, this came to the staff as a surprise, and it needed to be worked out. Boy did we end up getting the better half of the deal. The chef was instructed to give us a nightly traditional Thai course meals and with this he was allowed creativity. Every evening, dish after dish came out, and we could never finish them all. Fish, chicken, seafood, dessert, the hogpoge of traditional Thai meals allowed us to try dishes we would never order. Man! They were each delicious. During the day, we would take our rented motor scooters, drive into town and stop at roadside attractions. Gabbie even got to feed an elephant who's trunk traced her neck and torso, anxiously awaiting a small green banana. Elephant snouts are quite large and wet with mucous, but their enormous floppy grey ears and amiable eyes make your forget the gross and embrace the love of a towering mammal that longs for a piece of fruit. They are playful and I wish I had one or two as a pet. Another motor scooter journey led us to one of Gabbie's old acquiantances in the village of Chaloklam. She had two sons now and another baby on the way. We ate banana pancakes with chocolate and drank a beer. She updated us on all the gossip as her son played with Gabbie's iPhone video camera. We later departed and promised to see her in less than seven years. Our stay at Long Bay lasted five nights and we were more than acclimated to the painless island life. Our next desination, The Santhiya Resort and Spa located on the north eastern tropical jungle hillside of the island.

Portland to Beijing to Bangkok

Today it seems like months ago we flew into Bangkok. In reality, it has only been eleven days. Vacation makes you forget about time and obligations. I finally get to sit down to a book and be still, which for those that know me, it's difficult. I am always moving around, working on projects, problem solving, organizing... Now, I am on a beautiful island in the south eastern region of Thailand and don't want to ever leave. I love not making my bed or cooking, but that is why it is a vacation. This entry will be about our arrival to Bangkok and our short stay there. In total, we traveled for twenty-four hours. Our initial flight was to San Francisco and then another to the smoggy un-air conditioned airport of Beijing. At SF we boarded China Air, which was comparable to Ethiopian Airlines. Cramped, no movies, and gnarly dishes that one can hardly call food. We were greeted with a middle aged Chinese woman screaming to an attendant about her bag not being directly above her head, as I inferred because I don't speak Mandarin. I looked at Gabbie and faintly chanted "fight, fight, fight," we both giggled. The rest of the flight was uneventful and incommodious, to say the least. The best way to describe the staff would be "not gentle" and it was a twelve hour flight. From Beijing to Bangkok, I rested my eyes and we were finally at our destination. Groggily, we shuffled to get our bags, exchange money, and find a metered taxi. I embraced the warm humid air and have been sweating profusely since. In Bangkok, we always stay at The Buddy Lodge. The price is right, they have a pool, gym, and it is centrally located to where we like to go. It is nestled on the infamous Kao San road, where young travelers buy cheap tank tops, "traditional" Thai clothing, and other relatively cheap goods. Imagine a twenty year old, red from the sun, sweating in the face, unkept hair, the smell of three day old body odor, staggering from too many beers, wearing long crotched pants made from a wild Thai print cloth, a dingy t-shirt, flip-flops, and sunglasses. Some of them have been here for months, some for days. Gabbie and I soon realized our age, but brushed off the feeling being old and laughed at their naivety. We sure can be judgmental bitches when we want to be - wink. The street itself homes many travelers. During the day it is calm and also a good time to negotiate for goods. When the sun sets and nightfall arrives, party lights are turned on, the music is cranked up, and the debauchery begins. Youths dance in the street littered with food carts and mini bars. The hookahs are lighted, beer bottles clink, and the party doesn't end until the sun comes up again. Gabbie and I go to bed early and roll our eyes at the kids shouting and stumbling amongst the hotel halls at 4 AM. During the day we did our usual things: massage, eat, take pictures, eat, stroll amongst street markets, and eat some more. The street food is actually amazing and even more amazingly cheap. We stick to the carts where Thai people are eating and that are frequented. No one wants Pad Thai noodles that have been sitting out for hours, swarmed with flies. Gabbie did drag me to an infectious disease/Crime lab museum. It was fascinating to see such detailed dioramas of malaria and elephantitis. There was also a section on real samples of unusual birth defects. It was a bit disturbing but gripping to see dead babies, suspend in jars, with two heads or their intestines piled outside of their bodies. I was captivated by the section that demonstrated what size babies are in the womb, at different stages of growth. My sister is pregnant, with a little girl whom I have named Estella, and to visually see the size she is at was cool. She is almost as tall as me and in the womb. Okay, I am not that short and being in Thailand actually boasts my ego into believing that I am average. Bangkok is fun, but I'd rather be where I am today, on an island, in the jungle, in a beautifully handcrafted teak bungalow. There is where we went and I will be posting about that soon.

Little Brother Weekend

My brother Hans came down to Portland last weekend for a visit. It was great to hang out with him. We cooked a few dinners, played disc golf, swam in the Clackamas River, and drank beer. I love my brother, he is a good man.

Deschutes Macks - Mouth

A few weeks ago, Eddie and Chrissy Slayden joined Gabbie and I for a fishing trip on the Deschutes River. The fishing was good and there was barely anyone on it, which is rare for this section. The weather was exceptional too, not too hot or cold. We got to go swimming, drink some beer, and catch some trout. Our second night on the river, a fire was started by a backpacker that didn't watch his gas stove carefully. It tipped over and the rest is, well burnt. Eddie noticed the smoke from our camp. We had just finished dinner and was ready to kick back. I called 911 and we all decided to pack up camp and move one before it got too dark to row through the two class III rapids that were ahead of us. We obviously made it out okay and rowing through the smoke was a new experience.  A great trip in all and I have the tan to prove it.