POLICE!!!

Hey Everyone!  Sorry for not sharing the events of our trip with you in quite a while.  Honestly, we haven't really been doing much in the way of adventuring out into Thailand.  We do have a trip scheduled to go to Udon Thani for Son Kran (Thai New Year).  I should definitely have some pictures and stories for you all by then.

Anyway, the story I would like to share with you today is lesson for all who plan to travel anywhere in the world, but especially in Southeast Asia.

This story, like most, begins with our young (and quite handsome) adventurer starting his day like any other.  I woke up to a shining sun, got ready for the day and off I went.  I jumped on the Baht Bus heading toward the office for what I thought would be a typical day.

A quick side story if you allow me.  The Baht Bus got stopped on the way to the office due to traffic.  As you can probably imagine the roads are very, VERY dusty and the slightest breeze will stir it up into a thick cloud of awfulness.  No, that did not happen.  But, the Thai's do take preventative measure to keep that from happening.  Their way of keeping the dust from kicking up is to drive a tanker truck up and down the road spraying water on the road.  Well, they got a little more than the road that morning.  Yes!  I got drenched on the ride to work.  Fortunately for me the sun was out and I dried before I met with my first client.  But, if that was any indication to how the day was going to progress I should have just turned around and gone home.

Anyway, back to the exciting point of this story.  I met with my first client around 1 o'clock that afternoon.  We went out and looked at a few things and then came back to the office.  He wasn't really interested in what I was offering to him and quite frankly I didn't want to waste my time with him.  No sooner had I sent him away and turned around to have a quick chat with some of the drivers (they are teaching me Thai), the Immigration Police and the Tourist Police came marching down the hall. 

Now, let me just put it out there that if you are working in Thailand and not of Thai nationality you must, without exception, have a work permit.  If you do not have one you will be fined, arrested, and/or deported.

Now having said that, I DO have a work permit.  The fact that it was not in my possession did pose a small problem.  At this point I don't really know what is happening.  All I know is that the drivers are pushing me out the door onto a deck with no other exit.  Fifteen minutes later my manager comes outside and without telling me what is happening says "Get the hell outta here!!"  And that was that.  I took off down the hallway down the elevator and up the street.

This is the part of the story where I sort of make things up as I go along as I'm trying to get away from the office.  I was walking down the street not really sure where I should go, so I went to the bar some of my co-workers and I end up after work.  I don't have my manager's number so I texted one of the guys and asked for his number.  He called me back immediately.  I told him what happened and where I was and his response was "GET OUT NOW!!!"

I met up with him and we walked around Jomtien for an hour or so and then headed back toward the office.  We were on our way to another bar (no alcohol has been consumed for those of you wondering) when we get a call from our manager saying they have left and we can come back to the office. 

After arriving back at the office I was told it was lucky that I was not in the office at the time of the police visit.  Some of the Russians that work in the office were taken away and they had work permits.  Don't worry they came back a couple of hours later and few thousand baht less in their pockets, but no worse for the wear.  I can only imagine what I would have had to go through had they arrested me.  Oh well, it's in the past and I now have my work permit.

I guess the moral of the story is if you get soaked by a water truck on a baht bus ride to work first thing in the morning, just go home.

I'm sorry for not writing in such a long time, but I have been busy.  Hopefully it won't be as long for the next post and I hope to have pictures next time as well.  Hope you all are doing well back home and around the world.  I will try to post again soon.

Cheers,
   Cush

Cricket Anyone?

Well, another Sunday has come and gone.  Although, when you read this you will probably be starting your Sunday (depending where you are).  This Sunday has been, probably, the most out of the ordinary I have experienced.

It started with a lovely wake-up call an hour earlier than I was expecting.  Not complaining because it forced me to wake up and get my day started.  After a glorious cup of coffee and a bowl of cereal at our go-to spot on the weekends, we were picked up by one of the teachers at the school where Rachel works.  Nick, the teacher who picked us up, drove us out to St. Andrews International School (and on Rachel's day off too).

The main office...and Rachel's ride.

 It was my first time to the school and I have to admit, it was a wonderful campus. 

But, I digress. 

Once we arrived at the school we walked down to the field where we would be playing CRICKET!!!  That is correct.  Yours truly played cricket.  Granted, I'm absolutely no good, but it was fun and my teammates were quite encouraging.

Shin pads, wicket keeper gloves, and San Migeul...game complete.

I still have no clue as to what I am doing regarding cricket, but apparently I wasn't too bad.  I never thought I would play the sport of cricket, let alone play for the first time in Thailand. 

Many of the men on my team made fun of me when I first went out to bat (yes they call it "at bat").  I stood to the side, and held the bat like you would in baseball.  Apparently, you stand where "home plate" would be and hold the bat like you would take a golf swing.  It's all sorts of backwards. Oh, and you don't "pitch" the ball you "bowl" the ball.  I could go on and on about the rules I learned today, but that would take too long and I would most likely get them wrong.

The third game we played the man who was the "wicket keeper" had to leave.  Our team captain asked if anyone wanted to be the wicket keeper so I thought to myself "why not" and volunteered.

The guy behind me is making sure I don't screw up and miss the ball.

Overall, it was a nice, un-relaxing Sunday (for some of us).  We started about 11:30 in the morning and went roughly 'till 5:30.  After a full day of cricket all I really wanted was my massage and a cold beer.  I got my cold beer. 

I know it's been a while since my last post of our adventures here in Thailand, but I felt that this day was truly worth sharing.  I hope you enjoyed reading about our day and possibly had a laugh or two.  Have a wonderful Sunday.  I'll post again "soon".

Cheers!!

Work, Work, and More Work

Hello to all!!!  I know I've have fallen behind on my blog posts and I do apologize.  Between the last two weeks of work (training) and the internet going in and out constantly, it's been difficult more or less.  Now that I have a minute to breathe I would like to fill you all in on what work has been like for the last two weeks.

I started last Monday at a company that deals with property sales called Absolute.  With the company being in Thailand I am paid on commission ONLY!!!  I knew that going into the job though, but really I'm just looking for a learning experience (don't get me wrong I want to make some money too).

For my first week at Absolute I spent all my time training.  That may not sound unusual, but I found out that most people who start out train for no less that three weeks before they are out on their own.  I have managed to start on my own in a week and a half.

This past Thursday was my first day out on my own.  Now, before I get into the details of what happened, I want to explain to everyone that I deal with all nationalities.  This does NOT mean that they speak French or Arabic or (in my case) Spanish, but they hail from English speaking nations (i.e. UK, Australia, New Zealand, and of course the United States).  My first client was from the United States and was actually from Connecticut.  What really blew me away was the fact that he knew where Longwood University was.  Who, outside of Virginia, knows where the hell Farmville, VA is?  That's right, that was a t-shirt reference.

He was a nice enough guy, but hey really didn't want to be there with me.  According to him, I was nice enough to be around, but the fact that he was there taking time out of his vacation was not sitting with him well.  Oh well, I was only practicing trying to get my barrings and he was nice enough to understand that and allow me to practice.  Overall though...I got some practe .  What else would you expect for a first time?

Today (Friday), I had my second client.  He did not arrive until after 12 PM, but that's okay.  It was another man visiting Thailand from the United States except he came from Seattle, WA.  It was his birthday holiday with his brother and another friend.  This past Saturday he turned forty and is leaving for the states tomorrow (Saturday) afternoon.  Again, he was a nice enough guy, but you could tell he didn't really want to be there.  However, as I went along practicing what I need to learn he started to warm up to why he was there.  He liked what I had to say (even though I thought he hated me).  I spent right around two and a half hours with him and when it was all said and done...no sale.  Oh well.  It was nice to have the practice and he was very nice about the whole thing.  I wished him safe travels back to the states and bid him farewell.

Overall, I like my job a lot.  Yes, there are and will be times I am just sitting around waiting for a client to come through our doors, but it bodes well with me.  I do not have to sit at a desk all day and "push papers".  I get to get out of the office and walk around and actually enjoy the day.  So, for now, I really enjoy my job.  And more-so, I really enjoy the people I am working with.  They are all British and I may sit amongst them and not have a clue what they are talking about, but at the end of the day I have made some friends who are truly one of a kind.

I hope you all are doing well back home and again apologize for the length of time between posts.  I will try to better keep up with my blog.  Take care to you all.

Cheers,
   Cush

P.S. Sorry there are no pictures as of yet.  I will get some ASAP.

Big Buddha Hill

Happy New Year everyone!!!  I hope you all had a wonderful and safe New Year's celebration.  I know we did.  Now, before I get into what we did for our New Year's Eve I would like to backtrack a few days.  Just up the road from our home away from home is the Big Buddha Hill.  It is one of the more known Buddhist temples around Thailand, and definitely in Pattaya.

The statue of Buddha is very large and can be seen from the street in front of our condo.

It's zoomed in, but you get the idea.

Being able to see the statue from our street below we figured it would just up the street and turn right into the entrance.  Yeah, nothing is ever that easy.  We walked a good ways up the hill and finally found what we were guessing was the entrance (we weren't sure since all the signs were written in Thai).  We walked just a little bit and came to a fork in the road.  We could go strait or turn right.  Since we had gotten a little turned around mixed with not knowing where we were exactly, we went to the right.  We just figured it was one of those "monk-things" where you have to walk an unnecessarily far distance instead of a direct path.  We walked around the hill roughly twice and came upon the same fork in the road, but from a different angle.  Turns out that if we would have walked strait the first time it would have been right there.  Oh well, lesson learned.

Once we finally figured out where to go we discovered it was more than just a big statue on a hill.  There were shrines, statues, ponds, and murals.  It was very quite and tranquil, the perfect setting for prayer and worship.  After we explored around we went in search of the original reason for our visit.  When we found the steps to the statue it was truly a wonderful site. 

If you look closely with a little imagination it almost looks like Buddha has really long arms extending all the way down the stairs.  

They were the most awkward stairs to walk up because they were only about 1/2 and inch every step up and about a foot long.  Once at the top the statue of Buddha was remarkable.

Thus the name Big Buddha Hill.

It was truly a magnificent site.  The sheer size of this religious icon sitting, looking over all who approach it, it's just breath taking.  And, if that site wasn't enough...

The view from the corner behind the Big Buddha.  Overlooks Jomtien Beach.

The tower is actually a sky lift.  We haven't done this yet, but ya'll will be the first to hear about when we do.

Overlooking Pattaya Bay.

Visiting Big Buddha Hill was truly a great way to end 2010 and start 2011.  The next day was New Year's Eve.  We didn't really have any plans except to spend it with each other.  We did, however, want to walk around and see what Pattaya was like on the day before the start of the new year.  Well, we definitely found out.  Actually, we found out several days prior. 

The Thais love to shoot off fireworks.  What I found truly astonishing was that they shoot them off in the middle of the road.  Center lane to be precise, while traffic is still driving.  I'm not talking about firecrackers (although they were lighting M80's in the middle of the road, strings roughly 7ft long), but mortars, and rockets, and roman candles; the ones that can only be bought in South Carolina.  They shoot them off right outside our window every night for the last two weeks.

But, I digress.  When we took a walk down to Walking Street and Beach Road there was an exponentially larger number of cars, motorbikes, and mainly Baht Buses.  If you remember the picture of the Baht Bus from one of my earlier posts they usually have several people riding.  At best (for them) they have a full load.  On New Year's Eve, well...

I don't know if you can tell, but there are people sitting on other people's laps.  Whether or not they know each other I'm not sure, but look at the back wheels.  The bed of the truck is much lower than I have seen it since we've been here.

Another thing I found interesting is, like some of the food vendors on the street, for New Year's Eve we stumbled across a pig roast.

I know, it's a little graphic, but still nothing like I've ever seen...at least on the side of a busy main road.

When we got back we showered and cooked dinner.  We decided to go to the Mati Hari; one of two restaurants where we live and I knew there would be a good time waiting for us there.  The last time I was in Thailand was during New Year's Eve and the wait staff had dressed up in all sorts of outfits and costumes.  This year...well, last year...there were some very nice and well planned costumes.  My favorite one, by far, was a cowboy/Elvis/village people mix costume.

They truly get into the spirit of a holiday, even if it is not their own.  For the Thais, December 31st is not technically the new year.  For them it does not occur until April, Songkran (that will be another post).

While the Mati Hari was fun, the only plans we had made in advance were to be on the roof at midnight to watch the fireworks.  I was going to show a video of what the view was like at midnight atop the roof, but my internet connection wouldn't allow me post the video.  I will try to upload it on Facebook so you can see.  My apologies for not posting the video.

It was the best way to welcome in the new year, even if we were 12hrs ahead of everyone back home.  I hope you all had a wonderful and exceptional start to the new year.

Cheers,
   Cush

Awesome Adventure

Hello to everyone back home!!!  I hope you all had a safe and wonderful holiday.  I've heard about all the snow there.  I've lived in Richmond for close to 25 years and this was the first Christmas I have not been home for, so it only seems fitting that it would be the first time is has snowed, ON CHRISTMAS, in three decades.  Oh well, what can I do...aside from sitting next to a pool in 97 degree weather with a beer in my hand.  I hope you all are enjoying the snow.

We went out one night last week to Beach Road and Walking Street (they are the same road, but no cars or motorbikes can drive on Walking Street after a certain time).  The nightlife is quite interesting.  The street vendors, the bars, the lights, they all create an atmosphere like nothing I've ever seen before.  If you sit at the bar on the street vendors will approach you and attempt to sell you their products.  They might sell flowers, watches, paintings, etc.  If you are just walking around the neon lights shining down onto the street create a sort of ambiance that cannot be matched anywhere else.  Walking Street is definitely one of those things you need to see and experience yourself.  Having said that, you now must come out and visit, or at least come over at some point even if it is after we have left.

Beach Road is a more tame form of the nightlife.  There are still bars and vendors, but it is more laid back.  The cars and motorbikes are also still able to drive down the street, which can make it hard to cross the road (but that holds true all day, everyday).  While we were walking around the street we came across something that I have vowed for the longest time to hold and get a picture of while I'm over here.  I got a picture with a bush baby.

She was so cute.  When the lady handed her to me she grabbed my finger and it was a weird feeling.  It felt like a newborn baby when they first grab your finger...but she had fur.

Look at those eyes.  So cute (and no, not me)

 
As Rachel liked to say, "it had people hands."  It was a great lead-in to Christmas.

The next day while walking around doing our usual window shopping we went into one of the malls.  Mind you, it is Christmas Eve and we still hadn't found a tree for our condo.  Well, long story short, we found a tree (well Rachel spotted them).  It is 3 ft tall and was only 150 Baht ($5).  I love Thailand.  After we bought our tree we ended walking around a little bit doing a little more window shopping before heading back home.  Imagine the scenario; sweating bullets, in a mall Christmas Eve, walking around with a 3 ft long box.  And then, if that weren't enough, I got hot and wanted to stop and sit for a bit so we stopped at a small restaurant and bar, with our 3 ft tree.  I walked roughly 3 miles all around the city with that tree.  That is how committed we were to getting a tree this year.

That night we made our own special chili and the next morning we made French toast.  They were both yummy and we plan on making them again quite soon (mainly because they are cheap to make and make leftovers)

That afternoon we went over to Shirley and Allen's house to have dinner, but first (as any holiday should be spent) we sat out by the pool and had drinks.  Now, I know what most of you are thinking, but it wasn't snowing here like it was back home.  It was quite nice and I avoided, yet, another sunburn.

That evening we went to dinner.  It was a nice, quaint place with a buffet.  The atmosphere was like that which I had never seen.  There were older men wearing pink and blue and green paper hats, people were exploding party poppers, and this was all taking place at the tables where people were eating.  That's right, confetti right into the wine.  Oh well, it was all in good fun and everyone was having a great time.  Rachel even made a new friend.  He was about 65-70 years old, owned the restaurant, and said that if we left her behind he wouldn't charge us for dinner.  He then told us he would be right back with our check and that was the last we saw of him.

The next day we had made plans to go and pay a visit to the Crocodile Farm.  This is something Rachel and I had been looking forward to for several weeks and it was finally happening.  When we arrived there was a Crocodile statue greeting us at the entrance.

 

As soon as you enter the park there is a beautiful garden with all kinds of stone statues.  Some are actually petrified wood.  There are flowers, trees and ponds covering every inch around the walkway and it is just breath taking.

There is a pond just in front.

 Once you have had a chance to take in the beauty and walk to the left, this is the sight you will come to, and I will tell you it is a dramatic transition (and this was my second time visiting the crocodile farm).

Many of them had their mouths open.  I can't remember why but I think it has something to do with regulating their body temperature.  Whatever it is it was somewhat creepy.

He just looks mean, doesn't he?

 

I’ve only showed you several crocs, but if you can, imagine walking over four or five pits of crocodiles.  I think one of the main attractions they have there is allowing the guests to feed the crocs.  I’m not talking about feeding the smaller ones because let’s face it, that just wouldn’t be as much fun.  I’m talking about the biggest crocodiles on the farm.  Standing on the pier over the pond you can just see the beasts lurking in the water.

Now, how you feed them is not your typical food in a cup and throw it in the water.  No no, they tie a whole chicken on a string to a bamboo pole and let you dangle it over the railing above roughly 15-20 crocs.  It's intense and gives you a slight adrenaline rush.

There are only a few in this picture, but as soon as the crowd came they started swimming from all different directions.

We were not able to get any action pictures, but we managed to get a video of it.  I'll try and put that up soon.  

They have other attractions at the farm, but the one that is probably the most intense is the crocodile show.  This is just like it sounds.  A man enters a pool area filled with crocodiles and starts pulling them around and doing all sorts of crazy and insane tricks and stunts that no sane human being would think to attempt.  So naturally, I tried to jump in with him (in that not really sort of way).  He put his hand in their mouths, he slid down the tile strait towards them and basically was just off his rocker.  I took about 4 min worth of video and will post one (probably on Facebook), but i got one great picture I want to share with you.  This picture will show you how truly insane this man has to be.

The stupid things men do.

Now, the whole reason we even came to the Crocodile Farm in the first place was because I told Rachel this is where I saw elephants last time I was in Thailand.  She was so excited when I told her we were going to see the elephants.

We started off by feeding them.  You were able to buy a bunch of bananas and walk up to the elephants and they would take them right out of your hand.  It was so much fun.

I tried to pet one on the trunk and he would put his trunk out there, but he was only trying to get the rest of the bananas.  Once he figured that out he shied away from me, until i brought more back.

They also had two baby elephants.  They were about as tall as we are and they were so adorable.  We got some of the cutest pictures with them, in which we were laughing in just about all of them.

They made a nice little heart shape for us.  They were sweet.

I got a kiss from one of the babies.  I have to admit, this was the weirdest kiss I've ever had.

Judging by Rachel's face I think it's safe to say this is the weirdest kiss she's ever had as well.

I don't know how many of you have ever been kissed by an elephant, but think if you put a vacuum (turned on) on your cheek and then pulled it away.  It was like that  except wet.  Since we've been in Thailand it has been one of our favorite excursions and the memories will remain with us forever.

Well I hope you enjoyed catching up with our adventures here in Thailand.  We managed to survive being away for the holidays so you can expect more blog posts and Facebook pictures in the not so distant future.  I would like to wish everyone a Happy and safe New Year.  Take care everyone and I'll talk to ya again in 2011.

Cheers,

   Cush