More Thailand Pics

Pictures in the previous post include: Bells at Doi Suthep, Chiang Mai; Shadow of me, my elephant, and my Mahout, or elephant trainer.


Pictures in this post include: Guard statue at Wat Pra Kaew, Bangkok; flower offering and Buddha at temple; the Giant Buddha in Hong Kong; dragon mosaic at temple; and Thai driving, much like Filipino driving (i.e. anywhere the driver feels like it).

Thailand + Katrina + Dad = Super Vacation

I went on a trip to Thailand and Hong Kong with my dad. It will go down in history as The Best Vacation Ever because of two simple reasons: 1) Every activity centered around eating, and 2) he paid.

The experience of seeing history, culture, development, and astonishing natural and man-made beauty is only topped by seeing all of those things with someone you love. My expereince in the Philippines is one to remember, naturally, but I am sometimes sad that I am experiencing it alone, only sending the occasional letter and photo home. How lucky of me to have had such a great adventure with my dad, complete with us riding pachyderms, eating 8,000 calories daily, and searching for rubies at the Burmese border.

Considering that my skills in English have devolved over the past *gasp!* two years, I will instead relate The Best Vacation Ever in only a few pictures. Just note: the real thing was 8 million percent better, especially the part when I watched my dad fall off the elephant.

More Beautiful by the Day

Today I am hideous.

My exploits over the past 1.5 years have taken me through rivers and up mountains and on islands unscathed. Only last week in the kitchen of Papa Guille and Mama Nora do I stumble on no apparent obstacle whasoever, fall in slamming fashion into the refridgerator, and impossibly stub my toe on a nearby two-by-four, rendering me toenail-less.

Life sans one left toenail has, remarkably, helped me fit in with my many friends and confidants who were marked at birth with disfigurements and have been waiting for converts like me all their lives: Atoy the six fingered man (twelve, actually, when you count both hands), Oming with the impressive underbite, Jaybert with the ears that stick out, Apron White Hair, and of course Joe with the one big leg.

I was warned by The Organization that, try as I might, it would be impossible to truly become “one” of the people. Hah! Take a look at THIS, will you. Integration, I have come:



The picture doesn't do it justice.