More fun times in Thailand! Friday night ( I think, my days have all become one) we stayed up all night talking. At one oclock all of the sudden there was a knock at the door. No one wanted to answer the knock but it kept coming so finally all 5 us got up together to answer the door! It turned out it was Pia and that Pastor Wasan who lives in the home across from us had sent her over to get us so that we could have supper. We were beyond confused because it was 1:00 in the morning, but we quickly got dressed and went over because they had prepared food for us. We were pretty sure that Pia was actually woken up to come and get us, but when we got there Pastor Wasan was no where to be found. We were so confused!
Saturday the five us stayed in bed until about 12:00 just lying around talking, reading and just being very lazy. I really enjoyed this time because I have been on the go for about 6 weeks now, or is it 7 already? and really enjoyed spending a day in my pjs! It was almost 2 by the time we headed out the door to go elephant trekking. We have tried to go a few times already but something always came up, but this time we were really going to go. We hitched a ride and the driver was able to take us all the way to the elephant place because it was on his way to Phuket. When we heard he was going to Phuket we all sort of looked at each other and before we knew it we too were heading to Phuket with him! We had decided that we could always go on the elephants the next day.
On the way into Phuket our driver wanted to stop for a 10 minute break so we stopped at a little restaurant on stilts that you had to walk across an old rickity bridge to get to. They didn't have a washroom there so we walked down the street a bit to another place almost the same. When we crossed the bridge we had to wake up the waitress who was fast asleep on a cot on the floor. I needed to use the washroom and this was definitely one that I took a picture of! I had to walk to the back of the place across a floor that I was praying I wouldn't fall through because I could see through the wide gaps in the floor that I was high enough up that the fall might actually hurt. When I opened the door to the bathroom I was tempted to close it again but I knew that I'd have a long wait until the next one. The toilet was a squatty, which is a skill that I have completely mastered, but this one was the only thing in the room and the floor all around it looked much more unsafe than the floor I had to carefully walk across just to get there! Luckily I didn't fall through the floor!
Our driver wanted to take us out that night and wanted us to sleep over at his house, but we decided that that didn't sound like a very good idea and decided that since it was already getting late we would go to the First Class Theatre. The first class theatre costs 500 baht, or about $15 Can. You get to wait in a fancy room for the movie where they serve you orhdeourves (no clue how to spell that one, but I do know that there is an h in there somewhere so I just threw it in wherever I wanted!), and wine. When it's close to movie time you are escorted to your seats. The seats are oversized plush seats set in groups of 2 so that you have lots of privacy. The seats recline to a lying position. You are given a pillow and a blanket as well. We decided this would be a great idea, but when we got there the only movie hey were showing in that theatre was the Island which we had already seen last week. We had joked on the way that we would go all the way to Phuket just for dinner and that was exactly what we ended up doing. When we got home we went out for a few hours, met a bunch of volunteers - some great, some not so great, and then home to bed. Baiba lost her sunglasses on the drive home which was a funny moment that you had to be there for. Oh yeah, the other day we ran over a HUGE snake! It was so big that the truck bumped over it.
Sunday we went to Calvary church where Gaan and Byrd go so we could say goodbye to them because they were leaving for Bangkok for awhile. Church was great. The Thai kids were singing their hearts out and sounded amazing. James, who we went to the island with and wore the Burmese paint with on Friday was speaking and Byrd was his translator. They had us laughing so hard. James would tell these great stories of getting a unicycle when he really wanted a basketball hoop when he was 12 and how he danced around his sisters singing, "I got a basketball hoop, I got a basketball hoop," when he saw the box that unknowingly contained a unicylce rather than a basketball hoop. Then Bryd had to translate this and would do some of the actions but refused to do others. It was a great service.
After the service I had one of those moments when you forget anyone else is around - I love those moments. Gaan was playing th guitar and I was singing my heart out. I didn't realize that anyone was watching, but Amber came up later and said she had video taped us! She said it was even better than when I was a rock star for them the other night! If any of you have seen me in rock star mode you will agree that nothing is better than that (it is also on video, probably to show when I am famous!). For those of you who don't know me in rock star mode, sometimes I think I can play and sing like a rock star, but the secret behind it is that I can't. I sure have fun trying though!
After church we finally went elephant trekking, in the pouring rain! Baiba dropped her shoe and before we could get it the elephant picked it up for her. i got to bareback again. THe elephants took us to a waterfall where Megan lost her shoe in the river and we went swimming in our clothes. It was an amazing time but this email is getting long. Just picture a beautiful waterfall in the middle of nowhere with the rain falling all around you. You get the picture.
Yesterday it rained so I packed up and moved on which surprised us all a bit that I was leaving so quickly. I almost missed my plane to Laos! I made a new friend, Nick who had missed his plane, and we were talking and I hadn't planned on a long line up when I got through the gate. When I finally ran to my gate and out the door thinkng I would be getting on the plane I was shocked to see a bus. I had 5 minutes, and then no minutes, and then I was 10 minutes late for the plane as we waited for the bus to move, but it was full of other people on the same tiny plane so it didn't leave without us. And now I am in Laos!
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