There is great need in Thailand indeed. Even the dogs get into the spirit of begging. However, in absolute truth, you don't really see this a whole lot. Actually, there are more of these types of set ups around Midtown Mall in Saskatoon then I have seen in Pattaya. Most people work hard for the little money they get here. There are lots of restaurants, and street merchants who are more interested in an honest days work than in a borrowed days pay. And they are interested in the money so they can make it through today, not so they can save for tomorrow. Very different than North American culture to be sure.

So at school here we have some Canadian friends, named James and Lesley Willms. They are from BC (nice) and are canuck fans (not nice). They also bike to school everyday, and have put together a little video of what the bike ride looks like. Here is the link if you are interested!

I thought it was about time that I (Jasmine) actually post something. We have been in Thailand for almost one month already! That is hard to believe. As an introduction to my perspective on our new adventures, I thought that I would tell you about my Top Ten Aspects that I like about living in Thailand so far, and my Bottom Five Experiences! I will start with the negative and then move on to a more positive note!

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.