from under the sun...
so much to tell you, so little time:
i am sitting here in the open lobby of the Bed and Boat, surrounded on one side by banana trees and orchids. on the other side of me, the traffic is streaming by... bike taxis, motorbike taxis, and metre-taxis are all begging for passengers. upstairs, trenton is stretched out on our huge bed, watching thai tv, and relaxing after a day of intense shopping and sightseeing in the warmth of thailand's rays.
bangkok is, as one tourist put it, 'insane.' its 8 million people are all crowded onto boat-taxis that ferry up and down the river... today we took a boat tour which not only allowed us to encounter 'river markets' (vendors selling items from their boats) but which let us meet another couple from sydney australia, who we then lunched with, and then accompanied to 'the sleeping buddha.'
this is a very buddhist-influenced country, with hindu undertones... and while trent and i toured the buddha's grounds, my heart felt very torn for the people. i actually felt spiritually heavy.
we then toured the king's grand palace, ordained with gold and glass, and also entertaining very heavy buddhist influences. we hired a tour guide, who taught us the meanings behind all of the many demons and monkeys surrounding the buildings... we weren't allowed to bear our arms or legs, so had to borrow skirts and pants for the occasion. to top it all off, i drank from a coconut :)
after that we hopped aboard the ferry and visited the ever-popular, foreigner-packed 'kau song' road... where trent and i bargained up a storm. we bought authentic thai clothes, bracelets, leather 'diesel' watches, plugs (for emily :)) and more... all at a very reasonable price.
by this time the sunlight had turned a corner and darkness was falling. we ferried back to our hotel, and ate at one of the many 'street' restaurants... tonight we had noodles and duck.
tomorrow we fly to the beaches of ko lanta (where the tsunami hit awhile back)... we will be staying in a resort there. our plans include 2-hour massages, snorkeling, and lying on the hot sand :)
it's a fruit-filled palm-tree paradise of beautiful people and sweet deals. we are resisting the urge to move here :)
love y'all! talk again soon.
i am sitting here in the open lobby of the Bed and Boat, surrounded on one side by banana trees and orchids. on the other side of me, the traffic is streaming by... bike taxis, motorbike taxis, and metre-taxis are all begging for passengers. upstairs, trenton is stretched out on our huge bed, watching thai tv, and relaxing after a day of intense shopping and sightseeing in the warmth of thailand's rays.
bangkok is, as one tourist put it, 'insane.' its 8 million people are all crowded onto boat-taxis that ferry up and down the river... today we took a boat tour which not only allowed us to encounter 'river markets' (vendors selling items from their boats) but which let us meet another couple from sydney australia, who we then lunched with, and then accompanied to 'the sleeping buddha.'
this is a very buddhist-influenced country, with hindu undertones... and while trent and i toured the buddha's grounds, my heart felt very torn for the people. i actually felt spiritually heavy.
we then toured the king's grand palace, ordained with gold and glass, and also entertaining very heavy buddhist influences. we hired a tour guide, who taught us the meanings behind all of the many demons and monkeys surrounding the buildings... we weren't allowed to bear our arms or legs, so had to borrow skirts and pants for the occasion. to top it all off, i drank from a coconut :)
after that we hopped aboard the ferry and visited the ever-popular, foreigner-packed 'kau song' road... where trent and i bargained up a storm. we bought authentic thai clothes, bracelets, leather 'diesel' watches, plugs (for emily :)) and more... all at a very reasonable price.
by this time the sunlight had turned a corner and darkness was falling. we ferried back to our hotel, and ate at one of the many 'street' restaurants... tonight we had noodles and duck.
tomorrow we fly to the beaches of ko lanta (where the tsunami hit awhile back)... we will be staying in a resort there. our plans include 2-hour massages, snorkeling, and lying on the hot sand :)
it's a fruit-filled palm-tree paradise of beautiful people and sweet deals. we are resisting the urge to move here :)
love y'all! talk again soon.
posted by kanadians in korea at 4:48 AM
8 Comments:
Sounds wonderful. I hope the rest of your trip is just as enjoyable. Have fun!
Em, you guys sound as though you are having a wonderful time of rest! Drinking from a coconut sounds so tropical and romantic! Have a wonderful time together!
love, Mel
Hey girl!
Sounds awesome! It must be so neat to see so many different cultures there, refreshing. I think it's cool too that you could feel the spiritual oppression there, (heaviness) maybe this is some Holy Spirit prodding that will open some door in the future for you and Trent.
I'm glad you bought some plugs, I am just beginning to STOP coughing up my lungs and the stores here are insane anyways so I was waiting till after Christmas.
Continue to have adventure girl!
Love, A.
Sounds great! Especially the 2-hour massages, snorkeling, and hot sand - EXACTLY what my plans would be! And shopping - awesome, I love deals! It was like that in the Dominican too... it is crazy how much cheaper you can get things if you are a local and know how to barter with them. I'm surprised you haven't drank from a coconut yet... that's very common in the D.R. - they sell them on the streets with straws in them for like 25 cents. Keep having fun!
Yo Dudette!
just read this after i wrote the e-mail. Goin' to a resort...be prepared..the aura is captivating..the beaches..the air...ahh..sweet thailand. I understnad why you desire to move there...
have fun!
Love,
Sacha
Ahh, that is a beautiful sounding place... it seems like the perfect holiday for you two! I'm happy to hear that you drank from a coconut; back at the Desbarats Kids' Missionary Conference years ago (remember that?!) I heard missionaries from Thailand saying that the coconut milk was delicious, and ever since I've associated the two together! I got to drink from a coconut on the beaches of El Salvador & it really is a cool experience :)
I'll miss you this Christmas, but I'm glad you have such a great place to spend it. Everything you two do gets me so excited!
Times of refreshing to your soul !!
Makes me wish I was there with you .. but then it would not be the same for the two of you. ;o)
Enjoy your Christmas and may the peace of Jesus resonate in your hearts and minds as you celebrate in your own way. Jesus is the reason for the season. What a wonderful time you are having.
Will miss you both at Christmas .. but you know that already.
Love you both!
Auntie D and family
How incongruous - such external visual beauty, yet at the same time such invisible spiritual heaviness. Heaven will be the best of both worlds.
Looking forward to your photos!
- Pa Dow
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