Bann Pae Cabana Rayong

Laura and I have not posted in a while so I will try to sum up the last couple of days in a brief entry. The TEFL bus picked us up in Bangkok and dropped us off at the Hotel Chain on Rayong beach. The place is not the Hilton, but by far exceeded my expectation for the Special Thai Project. It is basically a early 80's style condo with rooms equipped with a refrigerator, private shower, two beds, ****** tv ...

... familiar. It clearly has a completely different meaning to the holiday industry in Thailand. Five days of torrential rain and thunder storms later I feel like documenting what I can only describe as a relaxing but totally misrepresented island holiday. I can't blame the weather on anyone but mother nature. However, I can blame a totally false presentation of resorts and facilities on travel agents and resort hotels themselves. There were some positives but too few ...

... with appealing contemporary architecture and 10-foot ceilings throughout, situated behind typically ornate iron and concrete fences that border abruptly on the street. What's interesting is that they're all concrete block construction with steel roof framing, and built like Sherman tanks. No creaky floors here folks.

A day or two later we looked through a housing development on a nearby street, where I took these pix. The cost for a new, average-sized 2br/2ba ...

... Dad isn't willing to pay to have her receive the extra help she needs. On a more exciting note, I recorded my kids singing the Continent Song- too cute...I've posted it so you can take a look. On Monday, I went to the dentist to have a consultation with the orthodontist. I've kind of been putting off the whole braces thing since I didn't want to start it and be gone and all that stuff. I really like the orthodontist ...

... saw in the new year with a group of fab Ozzies that were out here training with us and then i was a good girl and was in bed for 1am... boring i know but i partied hard over christmas so that makes up for it surely?! I really missed family and friends over christmas, more than i expected to.. it was so weird being away from home at that time of year... and also cos out here it was like a normal day with everyone working etc.. so it ...

... Anna Medeossi e je le prime femine che o intervisti (finalmentri une femine!!). Mi conte dal fat che e je une vore cjapade ben dal mut di vivi "carpe diem" dai thailandes. Podopo, o fevelin ancje des go-go girls di Pattaya, che e a une vite notturne une vore penge (secont je... al paradis dai omps. Ma no dal so omp... parvie che lu ten di voli!) Podopo o intervisti Stefano Turco di Buri (Buri Buri, no Cheng Buri), si, propite lui, il ...

... told was that she knew people in the Ministry of Education, and that after paying off the right people she would be able to "take care" of the degree situation and obtain a work permit. Implications towards fake degrees were made, although never explicitly said, and although she seemed to be confident that everything would work we had already agreed to stay away from anything remotely illegal. As we broke the news to our colleges ...

... been stepping over another huge, hairy spider the size of a coaster. Eww! Luckily Mike took care of that one. Armed with a shoe each we went through both rooms until we both felt comfortable to sleep. Turns out our particular rooms haven't been used for quite some time. I'm really excited to begin teaching here at Assumption. The teachers all seem very happy and supportive, and the administration actually has their act together. Wish us luck!!!

... manager: But it's not only Lazy Days, it's this island of Koh Mak, which is entrancing. Lots of fun people here. Like Gaaaaaay the hairdresser: The little tank station: With only 400 Thai residents, it's laid back, easy to get to know people and insanely wonderful. I now have a collection of possibly ...

Well, guess who? I really am quite acclimated to this place now. Here's how the progression went - for the first 3 days, I wouldn't open the drapes as there is an inch gap between the screens and the windows and I was afraid of mosquitoes. By the end of the week, I began opening the windows wide and I stopped taking my malaria pills. I can now sleep on gray sheets without offering up a prayer first. I can now ride a motorbike as good as anyone. I can grab a songtaew (or just ...