Bangkok and Paradise(ish) Island

Before I write the following, let me first remind all of you that although I LOVE to take part in the wonders of new cultures and cuisines--I live in CHINA...so there is an element of this trip that consists mainly of ESCAPE...getting away from unknown people and places and foods and cultures and enjoying time with my friends and easy home-like joys. OK--disclaimer over.

SOOOOooooo...Here's what I enjoyed in Bangkok: BURGER KING, SUBWAY, STARBUCKS, AU BON PAIN, 7-ELEVENS ON EVERY CORNER, HOT DOGS, DIET COKE!!!!

These are all non-existant in China (and all those other countries we've been to in the past month) (except Subway--which is in Beijing). We were all so excited to see everything--but our stomachs had quite a time dealing with the return to Western food!

Other than that--I spent as much time as possible every day at the hospital with Jeremy--who continues to recover and is great spirits, although still in so much pain. His body has a long way to go to heal, so please keep him in your prayers and consider contributing to his medical fund if you have the means (see posts below). He now is free of all tubes and has had his major wound stitched up. It was hard to see such a vibrant guy dealing with so much, but I know that Father has great plans for him--there is no other way that Jeremy would be alive today without the Plans of our Father. I will wait and post Jeremy's story later--I think he's going to write a brief account of what happened for everyone later and I think it will be best for him to tell it himself--but I'll be sure to share it all with you when he does.

The area where we found our hostel in Bangkok was definately Hippie Central. It was fun. It's the "backpackers area" and filled with all sorts of people and parties--but we really were only there to sleep while we were going to and from the hospital. It was great for Jen and I--who at this point are beginning to feel the effects of weeks on the roads and too many buses etc. It was a relief to relax in a taxi and not hunt for sights to see or restaurants to try etc.

From Bangkok Jen and I parted with Justin and Rachel for a few days and continued our flight south. We're now in southern Thailand on the INCREDIBLE island paradise of RaiLay. This island is south of Phuket--where we were originally going to stay but decided to bypass after we heard about the high levels of sex tourism and the ridiculous prices.

We're MOSTLY thrilled with RaiLay--it's a tiny island that we could walk all the way around if it weren't for the cliffs--which, did I mention, THERE ARE CLIFFS!!! These cliffs come straight down to the water, then are surrounded by astounding white sand beaches and crystal clear blue/emerald waters. I used to not be much of an ocean girl--my intense fear of sea creatures makes it hard to enjoy--but I've never been in water this clear...so now I can say--I AM an ocean girl!!! Or...maybe an Andaman Sea girl! Seriously--I'm in the place that is shown in the images of Paradise.

The island and surrounding islands have great spots for rockclimbing and scuba diving--so far Jen and I have just been resting all day on the beach and enjoying the beauty and great food. We've made some friends and had interesting convos etc...I love it.

So...why the (ish) in the title and the aforementioned "mostly"? Well....I haven't yet mentioned our accomodation. The island is filled with bungalows and cabanas to stay in and they're all really cute and cheap enough...but then you find the frog in the shower...or the bugs in the bed...and there is an element of the appeal that is somewhat lessened. I guess I didn't go camping enough as a child--MOSTLY I love it...It's A LOT of fun...but if the bungalows were a bit more secure from the jungle surrounding us--it'd be a complete paradise.

It's alot like that commercial for Hotels.com that has a woman shopping online for hotels--she sees a description and says "Oh! Bungalows!" then it flashes to an image of her and her husband trapped on a bed inside a mosquito netting that is covered in scary bugs! She then uses the website to find a tasteful hotel room with no bugs or netting. It's a little like that in our bungalow. But Jen and I are embracing it and gathering plenty of stories that will forevermore begin "One time, on this island in southern Thailand...."

Buggy bungalow or not--we are living a charmed life.