So we made it through our first week of school. And as such, Jasmine I figured that a nice reward is in store. So off we go to Koh Samet, which is an island close to Pattaya. We figure that if we leave school by four, we could be on the island, on the beach, drink in hand, having a massage by about six o'clock. Apparently there are beautiful beaches on the island, which I am excited about because I haven't been in the ocean yet since we got here. And the best part is that our friends Kari and Ed are joining us. Kari taught at this school two years ago, and Ed (her boyfriend) was teaching in Bangkok at the time. They are now both teaching in Kuwait, but are here in Thailand vacationing. Should be amazing.

This is an actual printed story from the Pattaya newspaper today......


Patcharapol PanrakIt doesn’t take much for Thai boat captains to report seeing ghosts, so when the Royal Thai Navy couldn’t find a man seen by one skipper waving for help on a Samae San Bay Island near where numerous scuba divers have died, the natural conclusion was it had been a visitor from beyond the spectral plane.A Navy search team was dispatched to Rong Kohn Rong Nang Island Aug. 11 after Somyot Thabjui, captain of the boat owned by Maptaput New City’s Ray Divers, reported seeing a man in shorts and a t-shirt signaling for help with a white foam plate. Somyot told Navy officials he was unable to rescue the man due to strong winds and waves that prevented a large boat from getting near the rocky isle. A patrol boat under the command of Lt. Warawut Leelarak surveyed the island along with nearby islets and the waters near the Hardeep shipwreck but found no one. Warawut checked again with the boat captain who confirmed that not only he and his Thai crew, but foreign divers as well, had seen the man. Further checks, however, turned up no one in distress.Somyat and other Thai seamen in the area concluded what they’d seen was a ghost, possibly of 35-year-old Wiwat Tiranakornkul, a dive instructor with Bangkok’s Evolution Divers who perished along with a student near Rong Kohn Rong Nang May 10. The body of student Pote Sawangwongsaree was recovered but Wiwat’s body has not been found.It wouldn’t be the first ghost story associated with that patch of ocean. The Hardeep has seen a number of diving fatalities since it was sunk during World War II. Locals swear that on the 8th and 15th of every month a Thai orchestra of wooden and percussion instruments can be heard. Local boat captains consider the Hardeep area a cemetery and expect to see visions on a regular basis.

Many of you have been asking for some pictures of our new school....so here you go!

Well we have been in Pattaya for eight days now and somehow we have managed to avoid the whole reason we even came over here.....the school. That ends tomorrow. The school is picking us and the other staff up at the condo, and taking us to the school for a tour, pictures, and a module on thai culture and language. Then we are off to the bank to set up accounts. Yesterday, the rest of the staff arrived on the collective flight, and we all went out for supper and drinks. What an amazing group of people we have this year. There are more British accents than ours, thats for sure. Supper and drinks spilled into the wee hours of the morning as we all got to know each other.

Today, simply put, was a great day. We woke up early, and my sunburn was feeling quite a bit better. We met Lucy ( a girl from Britain who is teaching early years at Regents) by the pool and then decided to go shopping. So we rented motorscooters, which cost five dollars a day, and took off into Pattaya. We went to this bright orange building that has no name on the outside, but inside are five floors of computer electronics, video games, music, dvds, and everything else electrical. It was quite fun. We found our cell phones there. The thai girl who sold them to us was so happy for the sale that she forgot to turn them to the english setting. That was soon remedied. We then stopped for gelato. I have never had gelato, but it was actually quite amazing. And they even had a ferroro rocher flavor gelato. Crazy. Then, off we went for supper. Lucy said she knew a good place, so we put our trust in her. Good thing too. We literally sat at a table right at the foot of the ocean staring out at the islands and eating a great thai food dish. Words can't express how beautiful the ocean is out here. Jasmine and I finished the day off by enjoying a nice movie together (Grand Torino with Clint Eastwood). So nothing grand or extravagant really, but just a great day. Tomorrow the school is taking everyone out for lunch so we can get to know each other. Should be fun!

So we are here. Our Tokyo airport experience left much to be desired, but whatever disappointments we had from that were well compensated for by the Bangkok airport. Quite the facility. We arrived (25 minutes late) safe and sound in Bangkok, and then immediately got in the line for immigration. The immigration officer did not even ask Jasmine and I any questions, but simply stamped our passports and moved us to the luggage pickup. Here is where we expected our nightmares to begin. We had transferred three times, and so did our luggage, with two different carriers, so we expected there to be quite a few complications. Not only did all of luggage arrive safely, but they came out immediately. So we were able to grab our gear and go while all the other passengers had to wait for theirs. Suckers. We then went to the gate to leave the airport, where a man holding a sign reading "Scott and Jasmint Newfet" was standing. We assumed it was us. We asked him if he knew where we were going and he told us that we worked for Regent School and he was taking us to "the garden", where we were to live. So yes, it was us. In we went in the air conditioned taxi for the hour and a half ride to Pattaya, arriving safe and sound in our new place. We were exhausted and excited all at the same time.

What a day. This morning our cab was fifteen minutes late, our flight was delayed 45 minutes due to weather in Chicago, and then when we tried to take off, a woman was changing her baby in the washroom, and she was arguing with the stewardess about FAA's child care program, and she wouldn't come out of the bathroom. They threatened to arrest her so　she finally sat down and we took off. Then our flight　to Tokyo was delayed due to an instrument failure. That put our minds at ease. Then our landing was delayed due to weather in Tokyo. Geesh. Exhausted and hungry, Jasmine and I sat down for a nice lunch at the Tokyo airport, which was small, tasted awful, and cost us 29.18 American. We were not impressed, but that was our anniversary supper so we just made the best of　it. Now we are sitting in the internet cafe posting this. We have two more hours to wait until our last flight takes off. I am typing on a japanese keyboard, where if i hit one wrong button things start to look like this 銃フ時J. What the heck did I just type there. Here is my name ｓこｔｔ. So tired, but almost home!

So we finally have our flights, and with two whole days to spare. Here is the information on when we leave for those who are interested....

Aug 8
7:30am Toronto to Chicago
3 hour layover

11:25 Chicago to Tokyo
Arrive in Tokyo Japan at 1:25pm the next day (Japan Time)
4 Hour and forty minute layover in Tokyo

7:05 Tokyo to Bangkok
Arrive in Bankok at 11:40 pm
Find hotel and sleep for a week!

So there you have it. We are off to Bangkok on Saturday. Jazz and I are expecting that it will be an extremely long day with all of the layovers and such, but in the end, not too bad. It will be fun to get to Bangkok and spend a few days in the big city exploring and such before we head to Pattaya. We don't actually have to be at the school until the 14th, but it will be nice to get there a few days ahead of time to set up our home and figure out the logistics of the place. Our anniversary is on the 9th, so we will spend the whole day up in the air flying...which is too bad, but we will have our anniversary celebration with a nice supper in Bangkok, Thailand. Can't complain about that.

So on a bright and sunny friday afternoon, Jazzy and I, and our good friends Tammy and Drew Thiessen headed south to the bright lights of New York City. We stayed on Long Island and subwayed into Manhatten each day. Simply put, New York City is amazing if you don't mind the hustle and bustle of the tourists. The skyscrapers are outstanding, and the history is well worth revisiting. We did mostly the tourist things.....empire state building, statue of liberty, times square, broadway show (Chicago), rockefeller center, central park, ground zero, wall street, and other fun things. I felt bad for Jasmine, being in New York City and not being able to buy anything since we are moving to Thailand right away and more luggage didn't make sense. But she did great. The highlight of the trip was when we went to the Brooklyn Tabernacle for the church service on Sunday morning. The choir blew us away. Also, we went on the "hop on hop off bus tour" which was the double decker bus system that drives around Manhatten. This was well worth the money. The second day it poured rain but this did not deter us at all. We stayed up there It was a lot of fun to be with Drew and Tammy on this trip, and experience it all together. However, now we are back in Toronto, and getting ready for an even longer trip.....to Thailand........three days till we leave!