Hi from Thailand!  We left the seniors at the Bangkok airport after some fun times in Chiang Rai, and flew down to the Bay of Thailand the next day to catch our boat to Koh Chang.  Turns out it's gotten pretty stinking busy and expensive there, so after 2 days we took another boat to a more remote island - Koh Maak.  I'd sorta been hoping to go here for a while, so I'm glad it worked out.  Things here are awesome--there are very few people on the island, which is small enough that you really could walk everywhere...if only it wasn't so stinking HOT!  it's a charming place that actually has a purpose in life besides tourism (coconut and rubber plantations that are over 100 years old) so it lacks that glitzy/grungy feel of places that exist only for tourism.  We've got another 3 nights here, then back to Bangkok, then back to real life...

Finally! I've been pretending for so long that I'm not going to Thailand, just because i knew that i wanted to be there SO BADLY! and the weather recently has been awful here--constant rain, just above freezing. we've had to go to the laundromat to dry our clothes. the laundromat! as if we were one of those rich snobs! but no more--as of tomorrow, i'm off to the land of sunshine and hotness. one of the reasons i know it's going to be awesome is that the supplies i packed for a 2 week trip could fit in a medium-sized grocery bag. I just LOVE tropical places!

So the first week will be in Chang Rai, working with the senior trip. So, I won't be teaching, but i'm told it's a lot of work. I'm looking forward to it. I will also apparetnly have my first ride upon an elephant. I've heard they are delightful creatures. As happened a few years ago, Nelle and I will be staying in Thailand after the seniors leave--the trip backs up to spring break. So week 1 will be lots of fun hard work up north, and week 2 will be lots of sitting around on beaches and driving scooters to remote locales. i'm getting goosebumps just thinking about it. I hope to come back with all sorts of photos, but if you're curious about what it's like, here's some pics from last time. funny historical note-last time, nelle and i had only been dating for like 8 weeks when we did this last time. seems kinda like it could have been lot of strain for a relationship...but we had so much fun doing the same kinds of stupid things, it just made everything better. I was glad to know that she's the kind of gal i could have adventures with. and yes, it was good to know what her reaction would be if i crashed a scooter with her on the back (she's pretty forgiving, turns out). So, here's the pictures from last time, and Here's a map of the area we're planning on being in the vicinity of (nothing too concrete, you know). Aaaaand I'm outta here!