The Journey Southward and all that Transpired in that Time
Hey Everyone
So the Southern Journey was also amazing...
Tuesday night we all went to the mall and I ate at the McDonalds. It was just like home...the sauces were different though. Then some people went bowling and I walked around. When I returned I hung out with some Thai people in my building. I helped them with an English paper and we just chilled.
Wednesday morning we embarked for our trip. We loaded onto two really nice travel vans. In the afternoon we stopped at a regenerating rain forest. We walked through and it was really cool. The vegetative growth was really intense and it was raining. We were also able to see those plants that eat bugs...kind of like a venus fly trap. After that we pressed onward to the southern city of Suratthani. It really is a kind of "blah" city mostly used as a gateway for travel to islands and the beaches of the south. We were only there a night though.
The next morning we traveled to Khoa Chaison, which is where there are hot springs and huge cliffs surrounding the area. I was able to wade in some of the water and also saw monkeys in the trees! There were also caves and stuff. The area leading up to the cave reminded me of the cave from Lord of the Rings...you know in Return of the King (This trip had many sights that reminded me of movies, so be prepared for the references!). Then some news reporters asked Professor Ritchie if they could interview him and some people and myself were told to stand in the background. I HAVE FINALLY BROKEN ONTO THE THAI TELEVISION SCENE!! haha. That was a fun moment. Then it started to pour in sheets of water and we departed. Soon, after driving, we arrived in Songkhla and at our beautiful hotel on the Samila Beach. That night we went out for a wonderful seafood dinner and it was delicious.
The next morning woke up and went to Koh Yor Island, which is on Songkhla Lake. There we loaded into little boats and traveled around the huge lake observing shrimp farming and such. Also we went to a little house in the middle of the lake. I guess Professor Ritchie had visited here with another group in the spring. The leader of the facilities asked him what he should do to improve his business. Professor said to build some huts in the middle of the lake and take groups there. Hence, it was built within 3 months. haha. Anyways we hung out at the little house for a while and feasted on fruits that I do not know the names of. We also got to feed the voracious sea bass that the village breeds. They are so ferocious! You throw one fish into their corral and they all start churning and fighting for it; very intense. Then we went back to the shore and hiked through the rubber plantation to a temple on a mountain overlooking some of the island. After that we ate at a another great restautarant. Then we went to a museum full of Southern Thai artifacts. I was also able to climb a tower overlooking the entire lake and region. Some GREAT pictures from that. After all that we got in our cars and went to Had Yai City. This is the commercial center of the south and also has been the scene of some bombings from Islamic Separatists in the past months. It was very evident from the way every corner has police and they check the trunks of most cars. They also have mirrors that look under vehicles. Anyways it was a fun city though and pretty interesting. WHile walking, a group of children started to yell "Farang! Farang!"...or "Foreigner!" That was pretty fun. Also as I was walking at night a rat and a cockroach came out of a grate at the same time! I was not phased at all though...but I thought it was very ironic that two creatures like that came out at the same time. haha. I went around the city then through all the various markets. Then we all went back to Songkhla to stay the night.
The next morning I woke up at 5:30 AM and went to go see the sunrise over the water. Also went for a jog as all the peolpe were doing their Tai Chi along the coast. It was very peaceful. Then we all went to some village cooperatives. I guess Thailand has implemented some economic plans that support a "One Village, One Product" idea. It is where the various villages specialize in a product of their choice. The first one we went to was a floral creation village that made stuff out of rubber leaves. Then we went to a banana leaf area and I got to drink Sugar Cane Water which I love now. haha. Then we came back and went to the beach. THe beach was awesome and there were many people there (I guess there is a holiday in Malaysia and many Malays come up to Thailand to Vacation!). THen we all went to the pool for a while. Professor Ritchie came out and then 6 of us played some pool basketball after Chris bought a ball from a beach vendor. It was so fun. We also created a net from a garbage can, made a backboard from a sign, and surrounded it with chairs! American ingenuity rocks! Haha...however, the hotel staff took it away from us eventually. Then we played some pool football which was really fun. The pool had three sections and we definately cleared out our section. My team won that game...Then went out to eat at another seafood restaurant.
The next morning we went to a rubber creating village. We saw how they take rubber from the trees and then actually make it into various products. It was very interesting and they made us a great lunch. Then we left for our Eco Lodge...I will finish this in the afternoon!
So the Southern Journey was also amazing...
Tuesday night we all went to the mall and I ate at the McDonalds. It was just like home...the sauces were different though. Then some people went bowling and I walked around. When I returned I hung out with some Thai people in my building. I helped them with an English paper and we just chilled.
Wednesday morning we embarked for our trip. We loaded onto two really nice travel vans. In the afternoon we stopped at a regenerating rain forest. We walked through and it was really cool. The vegetative growth was really intense and it was raining. We were also able to see those plants that eat bugs...kind of like a venus fly trap. After that we pressed onward to the southern city of Suratthani. It really is a kind of "blah" city mostly used as a gateway for travel to islands and the beaches of the south. We were only there a night though.
The next morning we traveled to Khoa Chaison, which is where there are hot springs and huge cliffs surrounding the area. I was able to wade in some of the water and also saw monkeys in the trees! There were also caves and stuff. The area leading up to the cave reminded me of the cave from Lord of the Rings...you know in Return of the King (This trip had many sights that reminded me of movies, so be prepared for the references!). Then some news reporters asked Professor Ritchie if they could interview him and some people and myself were told to stand in the background. I HAVE FINALLY BROKEN ONTO THE THAI TELEVISION SCENE!! haha. That was a fun moment. Then it started to pour in sheets of water and we departed. Soon, after driving, we arrived in Songkhla and at our beautiful hotel on the Samila Beach. That night we went out for a wonderful seafood dinner and it was delicious.
The next morning woke up and went to Koh Yor Island, which is on Songkhla Lake. There we loaded into little boats and traveled around the huge lake observing shrimp farming and such. Also we went to a little house in the middle of the lake. I guess Professor Ritchie had visited here with another group in the spring. The leader of the facilities asked him what he should do to improve his business. Professor said to build some huts in the middle of the lake and take groups there. Hence, it was built within 3 months. haha. Anyways we hung out at the little house for a while and feasted on fruits that I do not know the names of. We also got to feed the voracious sea bass that the village breeds. They are so ferocious! You throw one fish into their corral and they all start churning and fighting for it; very intense. Then we went back to the shore and hiked through the rubber plantation to a temple on a mountain overlooking some of the island. After that we ate at a another great restautarant. Then we went to a museum full of Southern Thai artifacts. I was also able to climb a tower overlooking the entire lake and region. Some GREAT pictures from that. After all that we got in our cars and went to Had Yai City. This is the commercial center of the south and also has been the scene of some bombings from Islamic Separatists in the past months. It was very evident from the way every corner has police and they check the trunks of most cars. They also have mirrors that look under vehicles. Anyways it was a fun city though and pretty interesting. WHile walking, a group of children started to yell "Farang! Farang!"...or "Foreigner!" That was pretty fun. Also as I was walking at night a rat and a cockroach came out of a grate at the same time! I was not phased at all though...but I thought it was very ironic that two creatures like that came out at the same time. haha. I went around the city then through all the various markets. Then we all went back to Songkhla to stay the night.
The next morning I woke up at 5:30 AM and went to go see the sunrise over the water. Also went for a jog as all the peolpe were doing their Tai Chi along the coast. It was very peaceful. Then we all went to some village cooperatives. I guess Thailand has implemented some economic plans that support a "One Village, One Product" idea. It is where the various villages specialize in a product of their choice. The first one we went to was a floral creation village that made stuff out of rubber leaves. Then we went to a banana leaf area and I got to drink Sugar Cane Water which I love now. haha. Then we came back and went to the beach. THe beach was awesome and there were many people there (I guess there is a holiday in Malaysia and many Malays come up to Thailand to Vacation!). THen we all went to the pool for a while. Professor Ritchie came out and then 6 of us played some pool basketball after Chris bought a ball from a beach vendor. It was so fun. We also created a net from a garbage can, made a backboard from a sign, and surrounded it with chairs! American ingenuity rocks! Haha...however, the hotel staff took it away from us eventually. Then we played some pool football which was really fun. The pool had three sections and we definately cleared out our section. My team won that game...Then went out to eat at another seafood restaurant.
The next morning we went to a rubber creating village. We saw how they take rubber from the trees and then actually make it into various products. It was very interesting and they made us a great lunch. Then we left for our Eco Lodge...I will finish this in the afternoon!