40 Hours of Continual Travel

Last Thursday, we said our tearful good-byes to our friends at the center, and before we even knew it, we were on the top of a double decker bus flying down the road towards Bangkok.

We had some business to take care of there, but after catching up on some rest at the Quinley's, we caught the overnight train from Bangkok to Nong Khai on the northeastern border of Thailand.

We took a tuk tuk from the train to the bus station and avoided paying double what the man asked for. We went through customs and successfully obtained visas at ridiculous prices (even if they were reasonable, any price to just enter a country is ridiculous). We took another tuk tuk to the northern bus station and waited several hours to get a 10-hour bus from the capital, Vientiane, to Luang Prabang. The drive was breath-taking, and we enjoyed ourselves, until around 6 pm.

The mountain vistas were breath-taking until darkness set in and the bus driver sped crazily down the switch-backing mountain roads. It was dark, and we could've fallen into a precipice   (<-- Ace Ventura line).

We finally got into LP around midnight and flopped into a nice roadside guesthouse (he didn't speak a word of English - it's incredible that we managed to get what we wanted) and slept off our trip until the next morning...stay tuned!

To Lao, and Beyond!

This blog is called "The Y Rock Movement" for a reason...and again, the Weyhrauch's are moving! We're off to Bangkok today on an overnight bus, and tomorrow evening we'll catch another overnight train to Nong Khai on the border to grab our visa and head into Vientiane, Laos. Blogs from here on out will be dependent on internet access, but I'm sure you won't see much of a drop from us anyway - we do love to tell stories!


These past two weeks have flown with all the activity here - I was a photographer for a Thai wedding, we've finished very successful rounds of classes, we've said our good byes over dinner with friends and a final mango roti before we shove off.

We love and miss you all so much! Our time here has flown by, and we're sad to leave Step Ahead. This organization is such a blessing, and we're excited to pass on our knowledge to Christy, the new volunteer teacher here for the next two months. Pray for our health and safety, as we are daily praying for yours.

July 28th will be here before you know it - then it's time for med school, cell phones, car insurance, jobs and expensive food again ;-) Ah, America!

Coffee Crappers

Just one hours' drive north of the center is the beautiful Khao Sok National Park where Derek, Sarah and I spent last Saturday. After breakfast, we followed a rough map on their website through Takuapa and managed to find ourselves without any road signs. We pulled over and asked a local how to get to Route 401, and the old woman responded with a heavy dose of directions in Thai. I nodded along (I told her I didn't speak it, but that didn't stop her) and remembered the hand motions...we figured, at least we could round the corner and speak to someone in English without offending her. She followed us right back into the car, speaking through the doorway. We drove, and somehow, we found the right road, following only the memory of her vague hand gestures.

Khaosok is the oldest evergreen rain forest in the world. This park is home to some very unique animals, like the clouded leopard, the Malaysian tapir and sun bear, and the mouse deer. We parked the car and paid our 200 THB fee (about $7) to enter the park. We crossed on foot to the entrance of the first of three possible sight seeing places. Many areas were roped off due to the dangerous rivers that worsen with the rainy season. We looked at the horrendously overpriced list of tourist activities and snubbed it - we were doing this one ourselves (to be fair, we usually do them ourselves).

We started up one trail to see a "panoramic" view of the jungle. We climbed many steep stairs that were in disrepair and quickly stopped pulling off to the side to read the barely legible, rusted signs in Thai. We saw an army of massive ants, with big black bodies and big red heads. We think they were giant fire ants, and they were at least a half inch long. They were all over the hand rails and when you looked at them, they reared up and tried to check you out to. *Shudder*...disgusting.

We wandered over a suspension bridge with boards missing and broken support cables. It was like in the movies, where they walk over this nothing of a bridge, and at a key moment, the rotting boards break out from under them. Yep. It was like that.

We got to what seemed like then end of the trail, but we could see nothing like a panoramic view, so we kept going. I mentioned at least twice that I was pretty sure we weren't on a path anymore, but Derek and Sarah were determined. I peeked at the ground around the time they began agreeing with me about us having gone too far, and saw a worm moving like a slinky. When we got back to the trail, I looked down and saw the worm stuck to my ankle. I slapped it, and the back end came off, but it held tight. I smacked it again, and still another chunk broke off, but it was resilient. Finally, the third strike broke the sucker off. I wasn't bleeding, but I was hysterical, and Sarah took my hand and walked me down the path, telling me that it was probably nothing. But, I knew it was a leech. I had gotten them on the bottoms of my feet in Wash Park, Colorado while playing in a stream. And they're on my ultimate hate list. Derek had one on his sock, but it was brushed away easily. And Sarah was clean...we thought.

On our way to lunch, Sarah took one of her shoes off. Something that looked like a rock rolled out. But, it wasn't a rock. It was a fat leech which had just filled itself to the brim and had detached itself from her toes. It struggled to move its overfilled body along the ground, and while we filmed it, Sarah dared to check her other foot. Low and behold, another was stuck fast to her big toe, and a first attempt at removal failed (they're slippery buggers). She pulled it free and Derek squished them both into oblivion on the pavement, squirting Sarah's blood on my shoes...don't worry, she promised me she was free of any blood borne diseases ;-)

We ate at the only restaurant we could find, and they gave Sarah napkins to stop the bleeding. When we were done, she walked to the side to adjust her makeshift bandage, and two women from Ireland came to the rescue with "plasters" (bandages) and water. We thanked them and took off for our second hike, because Sarah's a trooper, and we wanted our money's worth on the park. The latter half of the hike was quite easy as the dirt path was more like a road. We walked along without seeing anything of consequence while Derek looked in vain for the Malaysian Tapir and elephants he was sure were just out of eyesight. To navigate a particularly skinny pathway, I led the way. As we came around the bend, we saw a Civet cross the road just up ahead. We rushed excitedly to the spot where it ascended into the trees to see it climb out of sight. Just then, a Thai guide and two farangs came up, asking what we had seen. We told him. The guide smiled at our naivety and told us it was a monkey. Stupid guide...like we haven't seen a hundred monkeys and we're hallucinating from blood loss.

I have never seen a civet before, even in pictures, but Derek's spent WAY too much of his life learning otherwise useless facts about very "irrelevant" animals that one could never hope to even see...except this ONE time, when it came in handy. I described the animal to him and he determined what it was, and I affirmed this when we got back and looked it up online. They are very difficult animals to track down, and it's a miracle if you see one at all...it was pretty cool. We didn't take this picture - the animal was much too quick. Civets are known for producing the most expensive coffee in the world (watch The Bucket List), called Kopi Luwak. The stuff sells for $100-600 per pound! It is made from coffee cherries that have been eaten by the animal, partially digested, and are then harvested from its feces. Mmmm, GOOD! 

We detoured down to a swimming hole, but none of us were interested in getting in the lake after the leech attacks, and none of us have ever watched the ground so carefully as we did now. It started to rain, but we moved on to see a very beautiful river filled with smooth, giant boulders. It was very peaceful, and we were all in awe that we were here, in the middle of this massive rain forest in Thailand by ourselves. We felt pretty grown up...that, and we just bought our first car insurance policy  ;-)

We hiked further to see the waterfall, and you might say we were disappointed by their definition. This was no waterfall...it was a rock with some river "water falling" over it. But, it was pretty and the walk back was pleasant.

It's Not Nepal, But I'll Take It!

We spent this last with Sarah Hendrickson, a friend of mine from High School. She joined us for a week of relaxation after trekking in Nepal and doing research on tuberculosis in Velore, India for 9 months.

We had quite a time getting her reeled in. I drove to the bus station early Monday morning and when the bus stopped, I could see her sitting in the top level (double decker) as the bus drove off again. Unsure whether or not she had spotted me, I ran back to the car and followed the bus until it let someone else off. I ran and spoke with the bus driver, telling him that my friend was on the bus and that he needed to let her off. He pointed ahead and I assumed he'd pull over up the road, but he just drove on and I followed him right out of town. As we rounded the final curve out of the mountain pass, I saw what he was pointing at: another identical orange bus ahead of him, the one that Sarah was on. And it was flying. I went back to the center to wait for her call.

Meanwhile, Sarah HAD spotted me at the station, but the bus only stopped for a moment and when she had gotten to the lower level, the driver's assistant refused to let her off until they reached the "downtown" area, where she did, in fact, get off. I must have passed her driving through the area after the bus that she wasn't on in the first place. She waited to see if I'd catch up and then took a taxi back to the station to wait. The taxi driver didn't know where the station was (it's not that big of a town) and dropped her off past it. She insisted on being let off and a lady on a motorcycle offered to take her the rest of the way there. Sarah waited at the bus station for two hours for me to return, while I waited by the phone for her to call. Finally, she got a taxi to drop her at Step Ahead (which he miraculously recognized) in the middle of my class, and we finally got her to her room.

This week, Sarah and I lounged at the beach, had many Nutella Rotis, snacked on popcorn and M&Ms while watching Supernatural and The Big Bang Theory and got massages. We made several runs to Thai Totes and shopping trips downtown. We found gorgeous shells at our private Shell Beach and sipped on Derek's mango shakes. I watched her pull the exoskeleton off of jumbo prawns and pull leeches off her toes. We had fun with a fancy camera and enjoyed cocktails at Chong Fah Resort and visited the beached police boat from the tsunami. We looked at her pictures from Nepal and listened to her hum the official song of the World Cup. It was an excellent week.

Phi Phi Don (pron. Pee-Pee Don): Not like it sounds

Imagine a beautiful tropical island. Still, translucent waters gently lap at powder-soft white sand and slowly fade into a memorizing crystal blue. Can you picture that island? Well, when that island needs a vacation, it goes to the phi phi islands.

The view from the main beach on Phi Phi Don

   Arriving with a throng of tourists on a ferry from Railay, we were immediately hit by the nearly overwhelming array of options for activities and accommodations greeting us at the Ton Sai Bay pier on Phi Phi Don. Checking out a wall listing places to stay, we settled on 'The White,' a very pleasant yet budget-friendly hotel that occupies a corner in the middle of the tiny, highly concentrated island community. The hotel was aptly named, with a white decor serving as the central theme for our small but very comfortable room. As we prepared for a relaxing trip to the beach, I had no idea how much fun and adventure was lying in store for us in the Phi Phi islands. It's far too much for a single entry, especially given the propensities of a writer as long-winded as myself, but I'll do my best to give a recap of some of the highlights. 

Same beach as above, viewed from the kayak at high tide

   Phi Phi Don is the largest and only inhabited island of the small phi phi chain. Lying on a narrow sandy isthmus, the Ton Sai Bay Pier monopolizes one side of the isthmus while a beautiful beach lays claim to the other. We found ourselves here for part of the first day, relaxing on the sand and taking in the view. After resting up, we put together a picnic lunch of some baguette sandwiches and chips, rented a kayak, and began paddling out of the above bay to Monkey Beach. 

   After battling our way to the small beach, we pulled the kayak up onto the incredibly soft, pure white sand. We then set up our beach mat and began enjoying our lunch.

That's when they came.

   The noise of movement over the leaf litter of the jungle floor behind us came to my ears and I immediately knew what had happened. Drawn by the smell and noise of our meal, the monkeys descended on us to demand their fair share. What follows is a very interesting experiment in the male and female approach to conflict resolution. Kendra stood peacefully among the monkeys, holding her sandwich without experiencing any harassment, while filming me in a protracted battle with several of the vicious demonic beasts.

A happy portrait taken at the site of 'The Battle at Monkey Beach'

   Rage and malice consuming their soulless monkey bodies, the little devils made vicious charges at me, hissing and glaring with monkey lust at the sandwich I was holding. One problem- it was my sandwich, and I was prepared to do as much yelling and ineffectual kicking as was necessary to keep it that way.

   With growing boldness, the monkeys charged at me and I settled on the obvious solution of retreating into the shallow surf to kick sand and salt into their monkey faces. The most daring of the several that were attacking me even tried to venture into the water, but a blast of wet sand had them in quick retreat. And so we danced...and I made those monkeys watch me eat my sandwich.

   Despite my dramatic description, I was quite surprised at how vicious the monkeys were but never considered myself in any real danger. Only towards the end did I start to get actually angry, and by that time I'd finished my sandwich and they had set off for the greener pasture of the white bread a boat of tourists offered them.

   Picnic over, we kayaked back into Phi Phi Don and rested up for an incredibly fun evening of fire shows and various other promotions the elaborate bars all showed off. Our favorite was the Banana Bar, a rooftop bar with neon paint patrons can use to decorate as they please.

   For dinner, we had 'the best phad thai in the world,' as recommended by a passing couple who would actually become good friends. Lane and April Perry are ex-residents of Oklahoma come denizens of New Zealand, where they are continuing their work in their graduate studies focused on higher education. We'd see them many times throughout our stay and always greatly enjoyed the wonderful conversations that we had. We're excited to keep in touch and hopefully visit them sometime in the future.

   The next day promised a tour of the Phi Phi islands with a discounted price from a local company. After the frustration of a very late start, we set off towards Phi Phi Ley.

Approaching Phi Phi Ley

   

   The first stop was in a beautiful inlet formed by a channel into the center of the island complex. The islands rise straight out of the water, no beach or even inhabitable surface save for the Maya beach area we'd later explore. The inlet itself was beautiful, with the gorgeous limestone cliffs frosted in greenery rising straight up from the water below. We were able to swim about for an hour before heading to a cove on the opposite side of the island. 

The cove in the center of the island complex

   Our next stop was a cove on the other side of the island. To our surprise, we would depart the boat and make a short but surprisingly difficult journey to the infamous Maya Beach. Jumping off the boat into the rough water of the cove, we swam to a network of ropes directly in front of a less-than-structurally-sound ladder. Battered about by the rough water, we finally were able to make it up the ladder before climbing down the other side and hobbling over sharp rocks as surf from the rushing tide did its best to knock us onto them. 

   Making our way off the rocks onto the sand, we hiked through a short patch of beautiful jungle, with the steep cliffs above opening up as we approached the beach. The trees gave way to tall fronds and your excitement built as you got closer, until all of a sudden the view pounced on you. Despite its notoriety, Maya Beach easily came in behind Railay West and Phi Phi Don in terms of beauty, but it was quite striking. Soon enough, we found ourselves called back to make the journey to the boat and continue our tour around the Phi Phi islands. 

The rest of the day's tour would explore Phi Phi Don, Mosquito Island, and Bamboo Island (easily my favorite for the beautiful view from its understated beach). We would also meet an extremely nice Israeli couple, on extended vacation after their service with the military. Speaking with both, I was very impressed by their perspective and they each sold us on interest in visiting Israel. 

Kendra Interjects: Our last stop on the boat tour was Shark Point, where we were "guaranteed" to see Reef Sharks, a fairly large but not "particularly" dangerous shark off the coast. Either way, there were sharks in the water, and they were on record as, at some point in history, having attacked humans before, so I'm still putting them in the "large fish with teeth that I never want to meet" category. But, we both got in anyway. We spotted some long, white fish that looked like distant sharks in the shadows (my fears were causing me to hallucinate and hyperventilate, a bad combination while snorkeling in shark-infested waters), but we saw nothing of the sharks and Derek managed to get himself stung by jellyfish...twice.

   After viewing the sunset from the boat, we would have another wonderful night in the crazy fun party that is Phi Phi Don, with some more excellent encounters with Lane and April, and time spent with Bailey and a friend of hers she met on a trip to South America and coincidentally ran into here (small world indeed). 

   A morning ferry would take us away from Phi Phi and begin our trip back to what would be a very busy next week at the Center, but the memories we have of the tropical beauty of Railay and Phi Phi will be hard to wash away. 

Railay Relaxation

We were anxious to get started on our weekend getaway Thursday, and after our classes ended, we were already packed and ready to go. But, the truck needed to get checked out and we ended up having to wait for the shocks to be replaced. It was a bit awkward leaving once we did because it was the last day for our co-worker who wasn't talking with us, so I anticipated an uncomfortable exit. She wasn't around, though, so we said our goodbyes and drove the three hours to Krabi Town.

We parked at the pier and worked our way through the bossy long tail boat owners who laughed at us for wanting to pay 1/3 of their asking price. We got a very decent rate (better than they were offering - who's laughing now?!) and carefully made our way into the long tail boat via the bow with several other visitors. We were on our way to Railay, a part of Krabi that is only accessible by boat because tall cliffs make traveling by land impossible.

The waters got a bit rough in the afternoon and I threw on a life vest...I spent the last part of the boat ride wondering, if we capsized, how I would save the video camera from being ruined. The vests were strapped to the side of the boat and weren't required for passengers. I thought of how very useless they would be if we sank...and how pathetic it would look for the rest of the passengers to be floundering around in the water (I didn't take them for the swimming type) and me trying to save the electronics.

We arrived and walked on an underground plank through the shallow waters to the shore. The tide had receded quite a ways, and most of the beach was now mud. The waters were much too shallow for boats, so you had to walk into shore with your bags. Our first move was to check out the western shore, which is known to be more beautiful than the eastern shore. It is only a short five minute walk from one side to the other. A huge resort, Railay Beach Resort, has primo real estate in the entire midsection of the "island." We checked in to Ya Ya Resort (everything is a resort, but not everything is a resort). For about $10, we got a small fan room with no sink, but we are used to cheap options and didn't think we'd have any problem with it.

We had a nice dinner at the Diamond Cave Resort, but the mixture of cocktails and pain killers left me quite tired and a little woozy, and we went back to the resort early. On the way back, I dropped my camera case in the dark and in the mud, and we had to go back and look for it. We danced on the beach too...by beach I mean mud that used to be under water, and by danced I mean Derek held me up while I wobbled home.

Neither of us slept. He had tonsillitis and I had cramps...we were both hot and sweaty and in the morning, we woke up to ants making homes on our things. We decided - that's IT. We've had it. We're checking in to someplace with a real sink and windows. So, we got our stuff, had breakfast at Ya Ya Restaurant and checked in to the Railay Beach Resort. We spent the day lounging on their beach chairs with their fluffy towels, right on the edge of the western bay. I got a small sting from a jelly fish on my leg (a baby one - it looks like a huge water droplet), but otherwise we had a spectacular time. We swam in the pool and took many pictures. It was overcast, so for once Derek wasn't sweating like crazy. We had appetizers on a candle-lit mat on the beach and Bud's Mint Chocolate Chip Ice Cream (heaven in scoop form). We ate at the Railay Beach Restaurant where they carved tomatoes and cucumbers into flowers.

That night, we lived a life of luxury. We soaked up every possible benefit of spending 10x the amount that we did on the room the night before. We got free soaps, tooth brushes, sewing kits - we took them all, even if we already had it. We used the whole thing of bubble bath and I got to BLOW MY HAIR DRY. I remembered days when my hair looked good, if only for a brief moment. We watched television and walked around in the free bath robes and slippers. We slept very well.

The next morning, breakfast was free, and bountiful! Derek loves hotel breakfasts, so he just about wet himself when he saw the spread in front of us. We both ate way too much, but we were getting our money's worth.

We met Bailey at the docks to board the ferry for Phi Phi Don, and we were on our way to further explore the beauty of southern Thailand!

Back from Paradise

Hello! We're back from our 5 day trip to Krabi and the Phi Phi Islands, and we've got a lot of catching up to do here at the center. So, until we can write a proper blog, please enjoy these pictures of our trip, and we'll write up the story as soon as we've got an hour to spare...

Railay Beach Resort

Railay Limestone Formations

Railay Eastern Beach

 

Monkeys on Monkey Beach at Phi Phi Don

Kayaking in Phi Phi Don's Loh Dalam Bay

Loh Dalam Bay at low tide (That's Derek out there)

Maya Bay at Phi Phi Lay Island

 

Jelly Fishing and Drinks at the rooftop Banana Bar

Sunset off of Ton Sai Bay, Phi Phi Don