We arrived!

sorry for the delayed post. we actually arrived several days ago, but internet was not easily accessible.

after the longest flying experience ever (30 hrs from start to finish), we arrived alive if somewhat disoriented at our bangkok airport hotel. upon arrival we quickly found our beds and slept. the next afternoon we got up and explored. it was a wonderful hotel, and definitely worth the splurge for the convenience. as an airport hotel it is specifically tailored to traveling westerners. so it offered a nice and easy introduction to thailand for the weary westerner. we got some food in the hotel restaurant, our first thai food in thailand. it was delicious, though i was so hungry that i don't much remember the taste now. then we went outside and pam smoked her first cigarette in almost 48 hours!

then it was back to the room, for some intense rest and relaxation. the flights had all gone very smoothly, but neither of us slept much during the travel. we rang in the new year with our room service dinner, and the pattaya countdown on tv. our flight to koh samui was early the next morning.

after several short hours of sleep, we got back in the airport shuttle. everything went well with bangkok airways. they even gave us a little new years gift! so cute. the weather in koh samui was gray and rainy, but the airport was still impressive. it isn't a centered large building. it is more a collection of open pavilions collected together. we walked off the plane down to the tarmac, and boarded little trams which drove us to the baggage claim "building". we picked up our bags and found our driver. ali was already there. she is a sweet irish girl also in our program. the drive to the hotel was quite an experience. besides the fact that thai people drive on the left side of the road, they are also quite cavalier and aggressive in their approach to driving. after safely getting out at the hotel, we waited a while for check in time, and then settled into our rooms.

the rest of saturday, and sunday were spent exploring the town of lamai. we soon found the beach and enjoyed a delicious thai dinner at a restaurant on the beach. we tried for some beach time the next morning, and the high tide made that something of an experience. sunday evening we had a welcome dinner to meet the director, instructor, and other students in our TEFL training course. it is a nice, small class of nine altogether. our director, leon, is great. our instructor, damien, is pretty great too. victoria is an instructor-in-training, and only adds to the humor and pleasant atmosphere. after dinner we got a drink at the condom bar. that's right, we drank under the sign of a smiling condom. yeah, what more can i say about that?

monday began our class....but i'll talk about that in the next post. i still can't really believe that we are in thailand. it should sink in any day now....