Welp, I, the third Cooper girl, am gettin' hitched as of Saturday night.  We'll do the deed next April.

When Thailand does a Gift Exchange

After taking so many memories from Thailand back home, the country decided to stuff one more gift in my suitcase.  And unfortunately, it is undesired.  Some sort of bug/fever is what has plagued me this past week.  But wait,  I may be too premature in my giving credit to Thailand because it could be something I've picked up here.  Truth be told, my doctor doesn't know what it is, and for the moment I belong in the category of medical anomalies.  It's really not as bad as I've painted it to be, but we do need to continue the search and so, for the third time this week, I will let them suck some of my blood out and conduct other minor tests.  Watch it all turn out to be some common sickness that the Doc overlooked, or myself for that matter.  Oh well, I suppose I have been doing some collages and other creative things here and there amongst watching some movies.  Plus, Patrick got a batch of cookies out of the deal and not just ordinary cookies, but a giant 'P' and a giant heart (however, I told him the 'P' was for poop).  I hope they aren't infected cookies.  I did wash my hands numerous times, not that he wouldn't already have been exposed to the mystery bug.

Well, here's to hoping I'm not fired as I've almost been sick the amount of time I've been hired (not actually, but almost).
And here's to your health!

James, the Medical Anomaly Extraordinaire

Sawasdee from Kelowna, BC

This is a duo-blog brought to you by Patrick and James. What is written in 'normal' font is Pat and in italics is myself.  Here it goes...

Sawasdee krup, ti ben Patrick. Sa bai dee mai?  In other words, how are you doing?  We just got home a few days ago and to be honest it was a suprise to be in our own country where the customs officers speak English and everyone drives on the right side of the road.

Sawasdee ka, ti ben James.  What he said is the truth.  We are indeed in the homeland.  We got into Vancouver on Sunday night.  It was the longest April Fools in the history of mankind.  Though, unfortunately, not one prank was pulled off successfully (by us).  We were too busy attempting to visit eyelid theatre to put in the effort.  Plus, we were confined to the plane.   However, I am lead to believe that the tables were turned and the flight attendants pulled one over our eyes because I swear they said our breakfast was an omelette.

Yes, the 'omelette'.  Then there were the 'sausages' and the 'potato patties'.  Anyway, being home is culture shock all over again.  On another note, we had the most amazing bus driver from Vancouver to Kelowna who would sing before we arrived at every stop.  After nearly 20 hours on planes and in airports it was crunchy and enjoyable.  Much like the grasshoppers we ate in Burriram. Amen.

O.k. photo time!

The North and East of Siam

Sawatdeeka from Pattaya.

I'm now on the coast of Thailand in Pattaya and I've been swimming in the South China Sea.  Pattaya is not my city of choice, perhaps it is for tourists seeking certain things, but not for myself.  This is perhaps one of the lower points of the trip for me as there seems to be a lot of oppression here and I'm feeling rather lonely.  Patrick is in India right now and the other girl on the trip is in Cambodia until tomorrow, so I am the lone girl with three other guys.  Mind you they are a great group.  Pattaya is probably the worst city in Thailand when it comes to trafficking and the sex industry.  The heavy feeling is likely a result of this.  It's literally everywhere.  However, amongst all this I have had some high points in the past week.  I did manage to accomplish a goal from two summers ago and that was to ride a motorbike.  Where I'm living right now is somewhat on the outskirts of the city and on the little street not too many trucks come by to take you downtown.  As a result, there are many bike taxis and so myself and another ended up hopping on a bike to downtown.  It's a blast, but if you've ever seen the traffic in Thailand you would understand that it is also keeps you more than on the edge of your seat.  Lets just say that weaving is an essential component to riding a motor bike in Thailand and if you can squeeze through, you can go.  I'm also very much enjoying the area in which I am living.  We are staying in an apartment building in an area where there is not much exposure to foreigners so you can have a more pure taste of Thai culture.  In the mornings we walk to the Mercy Center (an orphanage near our place) or ride our peddle bikes.  Ridding peddle bikes casts many smiles and giggles from the on lookers as everyone here has an electric bike.  It's a blessing to be working at the Mercy Centre with the small Thai children, they are such a joy.  I met a boy there (the son of one of the workers) who speaks English, Thai, Phillippino and Mandarin.  He and I searched the yard for lizards and caught fish with our bare hands in the pond.

I just had a delicious breakfast in a cafe downtown and now that I am full to the brim I'm going to be going to visit a prison and bring in some food and supplies.  The prisons in Canada are resorts compared to the prisons in Thailand.  What you are thrown in with is what you have.  You are given no more than a small bowl of rice per day and you are stowed in a filthy cell with forty others.  I believe we'll be bringing in perhaps some fresh fruit and clothing.  This should be an eye opening experience.  Next week I'll be visiting the Tamar Center here in Pattaya.  It's a center for women who are stuck in prostitution to come and just hang out.  They have the option of being equipped with skills they can use should they choose to come of the industry. I think a lot of the women have missed most of their child hood, have been on the streets since they were 15 or 16 and so may seem somewhat childish.  I look forward to spending some time with these women.

I hope you enjoy your Thursday, I know I did.}

Love,
James