Hot Hot Hot!

Hello! Sawaadee kaa!
I am in Thailand! I arrived in the country on April 7th after a very long flight...it took about 20 hours to get here from Regina. I'm staying in Surat Thani with my friends from Saskatoon, Erica and Victoria. They said I can stay as long as I want!!! So I will be bouncing around the country for two whole months, and making my home base at their house.

This is where Erica and Victoria live. They teach English at a school and a hospital not too far from their house. They have one other roommate living with them and some friendly nieghbourhood geckos.
The taxis, called tuk tuks, are a fairly cheap way to get around the city. In Surat Thani, all of the street signs are in Thai and not many people speak English. It is a very challenging and exciting place for me to travel! I have already learned a few Thai words; for example, cow pat guy means chicken fried rice!

The people in their neighbourhood are very friendly. A lot of people stare at me and I feel like a celebrity. I think it's because I am so white...and tall. Sometimes the kids from the area come over. Even though we don't speak the same language, they taught me how to play a card game similar to Hearts, and I taught them to play my favourite card game Snorkle.

The house is just down the street from 7/11. We go there constantly to buy water and snacks.

Most people here ride motorbikes. I have borrowed a bicycle to ride around town...I just have to get used to driving on the left side of the road!

It is soooo hot and humid here!!!! I think the temperature is at least plus 40 Celcius! Perfect weather for hanging out on the beach. Last week I ventured to Patong Beach in Phuket, a big and very touristy city on the coast of South West Thailand. I was lucky to travel with Victoria and Erica's friend from Saskatoon who is also staying in Surat Thani right now! This picture is of Maya Bay, where The Beach movie with Leonardo DiCaprio was partially filmed.

We took a speed boat tour to Phi Phi Don island and went snorkeling with the fishes. It was bee-oooo-ti-ful!

The night life in Phuket is crazy! We went to a pretty wild lady-man cabaret not too far from out hotel. They sang a few songs from Dream Girls and the lead singer actually looked like Beyonce!

This weekend I went to Khanom beach with Erica, Victoria and a few of their teacher friends. It is a very private beach with lots of palm trees about 1 hour away from their house. We took a minivan there and stayed at a resort that their friend owns. The ocean waves were huge...perfect for body surfing!

Erica and Vi fire danced on the beach! It was really cool! I took many pictures.

Erica and I love it here on the beaches!
I bought a cell phone. Minutes are cheap. And it's free if you call me! Call or text anytime! 011 66 862 783 564 (I am 13 hours ahead of Saskatchewan time).