| Brad and Jen's journal entry for: October 8, 2001 |
| Greetings from Thailand-again, We have much to tell you since we have writtine last. We received the news today that the U.S. lead world coalition against terrorism has officaially started the military portion of their campaign against the Taleban and Osama Bin Laden. We are saddened at the notion that a war has begun. We hope our family and friends in the states are safe. It appears at this point that it may not matter where you are to be at risk of possible harm. We have heard the reports that there is a 100% possibility of retaliation. We are also aware that our government is "deeply concerned for U.S. travelers overseas." We are therefore making adjustment to our travel plans. Thailand is very much a safe haven for travelers. Especially Krabi and Railay beach, where we have been staying for nearly 4 weeks. Last week we made a mad dash to the border of Malaysia to renew our visa. The instability of muslim countries has caused us some concern. This includes Indonesia and Malaysia. We opted to be fast and safe to accomplish our mission. We booked a van to the border town of Had Yai, then had taxi waiting for us, which immediately took us to the border and back to Had Yai. Our driver was friendly and said he does this several times a week. He took us to the departure gates, waited for us, and then took us across the border to the Malaysia arrival gate and waited as we walked through arrival and then to departures. He then drove back across the border. We were safe, and we must say well taken care of. The van ride down was 3.5 hours. It was 2 hours to the border and back. And then 3.5 hours to Krabi. With some other stops, it was a 12 hour day by the time we got "home". Jen had to focus on her breathing and stomache as the ride is harried and smelly. The fumes are killers! Check out her poem in the travel writing section. Upon our return, we felt a sense of calmness as we now had another 30 days to figure out what we are going to do next. The fun has continued otherwise. We went snorkeling and saw a Morray Eel, lion fish, a gigantic starfish with bright blue legs, and Jen was attacked by a sea urchin. You thought sea urchin do not swim? You are right, she was treading water and stabbed her foot on the long black spines. The adventures of Jennifer McDowell continue! The dive instructor, our friend Nyree, started shouting explitives....not a good thing when the instructor gets riled. We pulled out the spines, and Jen went on strong. At night we cleaned the wound and have no further complications. The climbing has been great! One day we climbed through some awsome caves. They enter one side of the beach, and come out the other side. We needed our headlamps to find the way. On the other side we rappeled down the cliff and did some climbing. Another great adventure. There are some pictures on the cllimbing picture page. The other news is that we have been hanging around with several people from around the world. We usually meet for dinner at "Co Co's" for yummy large portions of Thai food and good conversation and laughs. Also, a friend from the states visited us. Billy Donohue, a friend of Brad's brother Todd is traveling in Thailand and Laos. We were going to work on the web page last, but received a message "I am in Krabi and on Railay beach, where are you staying?" We ditched the work and got back to Railay beach as fast as we could so he would not miss us. It is great to see a familiar face so far from home. Today we visited a school. They are on break in October, but asked if we would return in November. When we told them we would like to volunteer for free, they bowed and smiled. They offered a place to stay in the local village. It is a very poor school and they rarely see "farangs" or foreingers. We took pictures and showed them on the digital camera and they were delighted. The Head Master spent an hour with us and insisted we come back in November. Our new plans. To continue to travel! If the area becomes unsafe, we think we might book a flight to Australia. It's summer there! We could also visit New Zealand. If the school opportunity works out, we may renew our visas again a stay through November to teach. We think this small fishing village is no threat to the world and we will be safe., We love and miss everyone. We hope you are safe at home, and we contiue to think peaceful thoughts. Keep in touch.... Cool climbing pictures Really cool climbing picture! Peace and Love, Brad and Jennifer Back to home page Back to October page |