Motor bikes!

Today Mike and I woke up at "a good christan hour"(7am which "is certinaly not a good yogic hour") to take a trip to Hang Dong to visit the school at which he will be getting his CELTA (Certificate in English Language Teaching to Adults). I know a guy who goes there and he loves it. "It's the best place in the world to get your CELTA" and all that. Before leaving mike had to email asking for a better map, at least one that indicates north. Equipped with our new and improved map we rented a motorbike and we're off! Well the gas tank was on empty so not quite off yet. We head down what seems to be the right road, but the new map wasn't a great improvement and I feel unsure. Things are looking up when we see the Big C, the first real landmark on our map. We stop in to do a little shopping and I got some great pants and a shirt. Thais are small people, like me, so I was very pleased to have an enormous selection. I also picked up some citrus Listerine. If you have not tryed it you should, it is so far superior to mint I would not have guessed it was a related product. I digress, back to the main story! Oh, now it's raining. 30 minutes later I am wet and cold and lost. Six local Thais are looking at this stupid map scratching there heads, and we're late. Did I mention that the phone number they gave us was wrong so we could not call them? Finally, they tell us they think we went to far so we turn around. The sign at our turn is for wat tom doi (a temple) and must not be in english. So we creep along as Mike tries to read every sign, slowly, in Thai. A very nice looking construction laborer comes up as we are looking like idiots on the side of the road. He assuredly points and explains how to get there, and we think we understand enough of what he says. Just then the school calls and we tell them thanks for nothing, were on our way. A very unsure 3 minutes later we arrive. Now I am wet cold and hungry... I wait and try to use their very shoddy wifi connection as mike interviews. Then we take a tour of the incredibly beautiful grounds... then time to ride back.

After a wonderful meal at my favorite restaurant we lounge around a local coffee shop and critique the art...
Life is hard.

All and all a great day :)



"Security is mostly superstition. It does not exist
in nature, nor do the children of men as a whole experience it.
Avoiding danger in the long run is no safer that outright exposure.
Life is either a daring adventure or it is nothing."
Helen Keller