Sawasdee Kha from Thailand!

Hello all! I decided it was about time to update you guys on my adventures. Unfortunately, my free time is limited so this will be just a quick overview... ( i do want to sleep you know)

So we left Singapore Friday (July 6) for Bangkok. The flight was pleasant because we were flying Singapore Air... as always. Upon arriving we were first welcomed by the to say the least, different prices. The Thai Baht is quite different than the American Dollar. Basically, for every 34 Baht spent it is 1 US Dollar. So things easily run 4 or 5 hundred Baht.

Anyways, after collecting baggage (yay mine was there this time!) we headed to Khao Yai National Park. The ride was a little lengthy but when we arrived we had dinner at a steakhouse with Thai students from Mahidol University. They were very nice. After a delicious dinner we headed to the "bungalows" for the night.

In the morning we headed out for a 5 hr hike. It was quite an adventure. A bit tedious but a challenge I am glad I took.

Our guide, Dr. Ramesh...

Yeah... thats fresh elephant dung...

My favorite part was the leeches! Don't worry we had special socks to wear so no bites... but I have to admit I was a bit freaked out after flicking off the 50th leech!

a lake we came across towards the end...


That night we spent more time with the Thai students.

Some of our guys learned how to dance... THAI STYLE!

I enjoyed getting to know them!
On Sunday morning we loaded up and headed back to Bangkok. After unpacking we went to JJ Market with the Thai students. We found some great deals. We got to put our bargaining skills to use again...

Later we came back to the hotel after getting a nice Thai dinner. Hallie, Liz and I went out for massages!

This morning we woke up early (a little too early) and visited the Royal Palace. We began by visiting the temple of the King.

The Royal Army...

The Royal Palace...

Afterwards we headed to Wat Pho... the home of the "Reclining Buddha."

I got a free massage at the school of Thai massage at the temple!

Early diagrams of massage...

And finally... THE RECLINING BUDDHA!

I made a donation and as a result I bought a tile to be put on the roof and be blessed. I was allowed to make a request for the blessing...

Tonight we went the the Joe Louis Puppet Theatre. The theatre featured the traditional Thai art of Hun Lakoran Lek Puppetry.

Well I am off to bed! I will try to add more as I can.

Lots of Love,

Sarah :)