Wai We'll Miss Thailand

This is our last week in Thailand, and that means that this is a time of reflection for us.  Thailand has been my home for the last two years and Becky's for the last three.  This is where we started our lives together, so it will always have a special place in our hearts.  Here are some of the things we will miss.

The Wai

Everyone knows that the eastern equivalent of the handshake is the bow.  This is true in Thailand, but with a very cool twist.  Thai's wai as a sign of respect, the higher the hands, the more respect.

SAT analagy - Handshake : Bow :: Hug : Wai

Corn Ice-Cream! Yum.

Thai Food

Kra Pow Gai, Lap Moo, Yam Moo Yang, Gai Pad Med Mamuang (cashew chicken), Som Tam, Morning Glory, Gang Kia Wan (green curry), Moo Yang and so many more.  Not to mention great mangos, lychee, dragonfruit, longan, and mangosteen.

Thai Massage

When and hour massage costs between $7 and $15, you make sure to get one weekly.  Massage is, of course, available in India, but it will probably be more expensive and probably not a good.  I guess we will have to take up yoga.

This picture is from Justin Strickland's visit earlier this year.  We are getting some good 'ol fashioned foot massages.



Golf and Caddies

There are a plethora of reasons to love golfing in Thailand: it's year-round, interesting animals like monkeys and cobras greet you on the course, you get the country club treatment every time you go (I especially enjoy showering after 18 holes for some reason now).  But my favorite piece is the caddies.  She will give you putting advice and then accept your admonishing when it's wrong or scold you if you decline and miss.  She holds your beverage of choice while you hit.  She marks and cleans your ball after every putt (like that really helps me). She looks for your ball in the trees and often finds it.  Sure, I've had some atrocious caddies, but that just makes the banter with your golf buddies that much more interesting.

Beaches

Thailand is voted as having some of the worlds best beaches for good reason.  We will miss being able to leave work at three-o-clock on a Friday and drinking a Singha on the beach by six.

Softball

Jakarta Bangkok Team

I wrote about the greatest comeback in sports history in a blog last month. (Miami and Dallas had some nice comebacks earlier this month too, but those were not for a championship).  Because of that and many other reasons, I will miss the BISL (Bangkok International Softball League).  I will miss my friends and teammates.  I was just getting to know some of the guys from other teams thanks to being able to join them in Jakarta last weekend for an international tournament.  (We took 4th, after getting hosed in the semi-final game).

Sabai Sabai and Mai Pen Rai

OK, so I won't miss this one all that much.  Sabai Sabai basically means relax and Mai Pen Rai, no worries.  Thailand is very chill and that permeates throughout pretty much every aspect of the culture.  You should NOT be in a hurry in Thailand, and if you are, prepare to be frustrated.  That being said, it is a great attitude for vacation!

Friends

The hardest part of living overseas is that people move.  There is constant change and just when you've made a lifelong friend, one of you decides it's time for a change.

Becky's blurb about friends: 

Sorry, I just wanted an excuse to word "blurb". It sounds gross! All kidding aside, it has been so great to meet such wonderful friends here in Thailand and it's always hard to say goodbye to people that you've grown close to.......physically!  ;)  Just kidding, although Erin and I did share a bed several times.  Thanks for being big spoon Erin!  You make me feel so safe!  There's something special about people who understand how rediculous living overseas is and who also speak English! I will miss all of my "Thai" friends very much and This is a tribute to them!




Thanks for picking a picture where I look obese honey! 



Everyone looks cooler in a cowboy hat!  Especially Emily!  Not that you don't look amazing ALL The time Em!  :)

All the single ladies, All the single ladies!  Oh wait.....I'm married...... Some of the single ladies!  Some of the single ladies!  oh oh ohhhhh oh oh ohhhhhhh oh oh oh oh oh oh oh!

Don't worry friends, this isn't goodbye!  You can't keep me from finding you!  Even if I have to crawl on my hands and knees on a dirty bar floor in Krabi!  creepy! 



Great costume, Erin! 





I heart Erin!



I love the Be-aaaatch!

Summer Plans

Summer break starts in four short days!  We will be on a plane headed for North America as of Saturday morning.  Here are our summer plans.

• June 4-25 - Chicago
• Side trips to Indiana and Wisconsin
• June 26-July 3 - New York City
• July 2- July 5 - Michigan for Jenny Chen wedding (Becky Only)
• July 3-July 20 - The Great State of Texas, Dallas (Becky joins on the 6th)
• Anyone want a house sitter for two weeks?
• Potential Tour de Texas III trip to Austin or Houston or Both
• Potential trip to Shreveport, LA
• July 20 - July 25 - Chicago
• Wisconsin Wedding July 23-24
• July 26 - New Delhi, India

Summer is a little shorter this year due to our current school ending later than our new school does, as well as a week of new teacher orientation.

Cell phone numbers are coming soon.  We will still be using Becky's number, so if you have that, you can start dialing June 4.  If you don't have it, email us and we'll get it to you.  Or, you can always call the skype number.  Looking forward to friends, food and familiarity.

Love,

iBeck

Breakin' the law! Breakin' the law!

As some of you may know, Isaac and I spent last weekend in Singapore, otherwise known as the country where everything is illegal.  You may remember some time in the 90s that some kid got caned in Singapore for vandalism.  I believe caning is still practiced in Singapore as a punishment for certain crimes and since Isaac and I have never been caned (thanks a lot Mom!), we decided to try to do as many illegal things as possible so we could experience the joy of caning.  Also, it would liven up our blog.  No one cares about the cobra anymore.  *sigh.  You people expect too much!  We still love you!  So, without further delay, here is a chronicle of all of the things we did that were illegal in Singapore.  Please PLEASE, don't try this at home.  I think in America the punishments are far worse for these crimes.  You may even be deported to Canada!  *shudder

Eh!

1.  Pay less than $10 for a beer  Actually we paid $9 and that was the happy hour price.  Ok, so we didn't actually break the law because we paid for our beers BUT we weren't happy about it and I think that complaining about $9 HAPPY HOUR beer is illegal so BOOM!  We are so dangerous!  BANGKOK dangerous!  Hahahahahahahaha!  Ok not funny.  Moving on.

2.  Chewing gum You can't find chewing gum in Singapore ANYWHERE and as a gum addict I HAD to have some so I brought my own!  TAKE THAT!  I only chewed gum on the first night on the way back from the airport but I was extra annoying and blew bubbles to challenge authority because that's how I roll!  Are you scared?  You should be!  I can totally understand the rationale behind outlawing gum.  I mean, gum is known as the gateway candy.  It starts with gum.  Then before you know it, it's cigarette gum!  And the next thing you know you're waking up in a pool of your own vomit because you've been snorting pixie sticks and mixing pop rocks and diet soda!  The world can be a very scary place for us addicts.  Wow I could write a book about this!  I'll call it "A Million Little Reese's Pieces".  Maybe Oprah will endorse it even though her show is over.  I'm pretty sure she will.

3. Spitting  This is just gross, and I totally approve of this law, but Isaac had to do it. We were drinking slurpees and Isaac said they were too sweet so he needed to spit the excess sugar.  Definitely understandable.  At least it wasn't as bad as that time in high school when Katie had a cold in the winter and decided to spit a green lougie out the window in Paul Farrell's front yard.  It totally froze to the spot and we could still see it there for like 2 weeks!  Sick, katie!  You would DEFINITELY be caned in Singapore for that.  I think they do DNA testing on all street spit to find the perps.  Good thing we left the country right after Isaac spit!

This is pre-spit.  He is overwhelmed by sweetness!  You'd think he'd be used to it after almost 2 years of marriage to me!  

4. Taking your shirt off in public:  If you know Isaac, you know that he cannot be expected to leave his shirt on for more than 20 minutes at a time.  Especially when he's getting his picture taken.  Nothing says classy like a shirtless pose next to a merlion!  The asian tourists behind us really seemed to enjoy it.  I think we JUST missed the police raid for shirtless pedestrians.  So close!

 

5. Playing cards or having fun at restaurants: Isaac and I love to compete at most things but, particularly at the game Skipbo.  We find that we run out of conversation topics and Skipbo makes it ok to not talk.  Also it's good practice for losing graciously, not that either of us needs practice at this *cough cough ISAAC.  Whew I must have an allergy to something.  Anyhoo so we were at the fine family establishment of Hooters and proceeded to start a family game of Skipbo when the waitress informed us that we couldn't play cards there.  I can only guess that it is ILLEGAL and at any moment Hooters would have been overrun by police trying to bust us for playing a game.  Then what kind of a reputation would Hooters have?!  I shudder to think!  Good thing she stopped us from destroying their wholesome image.  It was also nice to pay $70 for a dinner of chicken wings and a salad.  I think it was the cheapest restaurant on the island.

6. Getting free drink refills on non-alcoholic bevs:  This is pretty much true for any place outside of the U.S. but that doesn't mean that it is any less frustrating!  One of the things I miss the most about America is the never ending soda at restaurants.  Oh right, and I miss my family too.  Sorry Mom!  :) 

  *sigh.  If only we COULD have broken this law.  Alas, we could not.  Don't worry though, when I got thirsty I just drank my spit.  mmmmm foamy!

Me swallowing my spit.  Refreshing!

7. Paying less than $100 for a hotel room AND getting a window: Seriously, the last time I stayed in Singapore I had to stay in a hostel and share a bathroom and STILL didn't have a window in my room!  This time we splurged and actually stayed in a private room in a real hotel!  We even had our own shower right over the toilet.  This place was CLASSY.  But, we should have known that it is illegal to have a room with a window unless you spend AT LEAST $150/night.  Oh well.  Who needs to know what time of the day it is anyway?  This way we slept until about 10 am every day and had no idea!  It was great!

Look how well rested we look after inadvertently sleeping the day away in our windowless room!  Notice the plethora of rooms with windows.  None of those rooms were ours.  :(

8. Holding snakes that are smaller than 10 feet long:  No, this isn't really a law in Singapore but it's the only way I could excuse showing this amazing photo of Isaac at the zoo!  It pays to be the only foreigners in the audience at the night safari....................and to be really obnoxious and loud in the front row until you are picked to go on stage.  Worth it!

Please don't hurt me, sir, I let you get on stage!

The cobra in our kitchen was MUCH bigger.

9.  Not recycling: Even otters recycle in Singapore!

Ok so I wish I had 1 more things to write about to make a top 10 list, but I don't.  And let's be honest, you're sick of reading this blog anyway and are ready to get to really important things like washing your socks.  I totally understand. 

Oh yeah and just so you know, we never did get caned for breaking the law in Singapore.  I guess we'll have to deal with that.  I'm sure someone will want to cane us later in life.  Here's hoping!

Here are some more random pics of our trip!

Slytherin House

I can now leave Thailand with a clear mind.

For the last few weeks, something has really been weighing me down.  I would have hated to have left Siam without accomplishing one of the goals I set when first learning I was moving to Southeast Asia. We are only five weeks away, but when Becky and I got home this afternoon, my dreams came true; and then I soiled myself.

After a nice weekend in downtown Bangkok, Becky and I open the door to our house and noticed our loyal guard cat, Danni, did not come running to the door.  Instead, she was on full alert at the back door.

Danni was courageously (or stupidly) cornering this:

I have had it with these mutha-effing snakes in this mutha-effing kitchen.

Yeah, that is a cobra.  Yes, I was scared.  However, fear was not going to stop me from capturing this moment, so I first went for the camera and then tried to save our daring feline.  Danni was toying with this thing like it was a gekko, and the cobra struck at her a few times before I was able to grab her.  So far so good, she seems to be OK.

After arguing about what to do for a while, we decided to go get a Thai guy from next door.  Why?  I don't know.  I think that my thoughts were that he had probably dealt with this before.  Well, his response was basically, "Holy crap, that's scary, lets get out of here."  I agreed, but we pressed on.

"I know! Let's poke it with a stick!" 

Proceeding with caution.

Finally, we were able to get the back door unlocked and get the snake to leave.  I would like to say that, while it may look like I am merely taking pictures, I did actually open the door.  So I wasn't a total pansy.  Plus, I have a long documented history of snake wrangling.

To my Dad.  We did it!  We finally did it!  No more ridicule from you about not seeing a cobra.  The even better news is that when you come to visit us in India next year, you can hold one of these guys in your hand!  Get excited!

Enjoy the pictures and videos below.

Isn't there a Bronx Zoo Cobra joke in here somewhere?