Soooo sorry I haven't updated recently but here is a big juicy chunk of my summer coming your way...
Above and below are photos of the office where I work everyday. It is quite nice and comfortable - no complaints. The project has come along well and Charlie(you'll see a photo of him later) and I have really made a pretty big difference in helping Kenan grab a hold of its community mapping project down in Phang Nga.
Essentially I have been gathering lists of tourist sites, hotels, schools, savings/community groups, etc within the 2 communities spanning roughly 300 square kilometers. We have been meeting with community officials and basically just taking the first steps in our 3 year effort. Things move slowly in Thailand so you can't push anything. As an American it can be frustrating but as a student of the community it has been an interesting study. I have been introduced to the art of networking and how vitally important it is here. In the states, some would argue, a decision is made on who the best/cheapest candidate is. In Thailand decisions are made based on who you know. It is that simple.
Before heading down to Phang Nga we interns spent roughly 2 weeks in Bangkok for orientation and project development. We visited various sites one of which was the above infamous floating market outside Bangkok. I do hate to be negative but, really, so many tourists and so few products actually worth buying. There are better markets elsewhere that I would find - Not the floating kind but still worthwhile. I walked away a little disappointed and...
... ran into the armada of buses parked outside. No comment.
Here we have one of my more treasured memories from Bangkok. Can you guess where I am right now?...
The movie theater. The best movie I have ever seen is X-men III. Not because the movie was particularly good. Mostly I was in awe of how luxurious this theater was. I dont often treat myself but I thought for once I would go out with the MBA students and see "the MBA world". Well, my reporting from MBA world, its not too shabby. Raise your hand, get yourself a coke. Shake your head, get yourself some popcorn. Its ok, fall asleep in the middle of the movie.
Later I would take a shower. My ritual exfoliation turned up a nice surprise. I realized that while leaving the theater they must cover each viewer head to toe in a thin layer of gold - that might justify the 600B/ticket price tag. They really know how to treat you when you've got the funds(its actually only about $16)!
... And that was the movie theater in Siam Paragon, the nicest and newest mall/theater in Bangkok.
Before leaving for Phang-nga I was lucky enough to witness a very rare celebration. Thailand was celebrating their King's 60th anniversary as King. It was a magical event for the country and even I was stuck by the pouring out of emotion from everyone. Thai people genuinely feel a great deal of admiration for their King and rightly so. He has done some admirable things with his power.
As an American it was hard for me to understand but when you see the crowds of shoulder to shoulder thais all chanting the same tribute song in those yellow collared "we love the king" t-shirts you know that this is special.
There were fireworks and lanterns placed on the Chao Praya river and they even released thousands of red lanterns into the sky making a huge streak of red that I saw from many miles away. It was a special night.
So finally down in Phang Nga - I spent my second afternoon in Phang Nga on this beach not 100m from the hotel where I am staying. It was a great afternoon. This and the photos following were all taken that afternoon.
This is the beach that was struck so savagely just a few years ago. No debri is found but you can tell going up and down the beach that Khao Lak was hurt. Rebuiling is everywhere and so thats a nice sign but there are areas that simply can't be painted over. Its quite interesting.
Pretty...
This beautiful day was followed by a week of rain. The cost of beauty in Phang Nga can be harsh sometimes but there are always moments like these that remind you why you like it.
This and the following photo are from Phuket. When you want to go for a drink in a happening place you pretty much need to head to Phuket. I love Khao Lak for it's peace and quiet but sometimes you just want to be with people. You can see that I'm having a good time. The bar is called "Bangkok Pub"(a good place to meet other students and young professionals)... don't ask the significance of the name.
Here is Charlie and one of his friends of 3-4 years, Gai. She is great fun. So is Charlie. Good times.
No really, Charlie has been my best buddy when it comes to introductions to Thailand. He has helped smooth the rough edges at times and there are definitely some rough edges.
He is been my partner and my pal and I owe him one.
Sorry for jumping around but here is a feild trip I took with some of my coworkers to the Island of Kho Yao Noi. The island won an award from National Geographic as the top ecotourism site in Southeast Asia so we were visiting to try and see what made it so special. It was quite a beautiful place.
These photos were taken at the fish farm off the coast. We were looking at the big lobsters in the net next door to this guy and he literally reached down and grabbed this leopard shark by the tail and brought it out to show it to us.
This is the only meaningful photo I took on Kho Yao Noi as I played my first game of 'footie' with a bunch of kids on this feild. constant fun and I realized that I really enjoy playing football with young people as they dont take themselves too seriously. Anyhow the blog wont let me put any more photos in this post so I better post it already. Soon I'll post again.
