So another week has passed!

Still not much idea of whether I am actually working here, and still no visa, but I am hopeful that this will be sorted in the next few days...!

We did indeed go to Surin on the following day - we met a Chinese guy called Huang (I think!) who is really friendly and so far he's the best English speaker we have found...! Anyway, he showed us where to get a bus, and we managed to somehow get onto the right bus. 45 minutes and 35 baht and we made it. First thing we see is an elephant strolling around the bus station. Quite sad though because he is there just for entertainment, so that people pay money to feed her - apparently she's pregnant too! After a bit of wandering aimlessly, we got a tuk-tuk to the Big C, which is a big hypermarket. I bought a donut, croissants and grapes, and we had KFC! This is exciting when you live in the middle of nowhere!

The next day, we planned to go back, as the other people from TTT (TEFL teachers) had found a lovely pool, but as the day went by, we had planned to go to Koh Chang instead.

We had about a 10 hour journey on a not-very-comfortable minivan down to the port, with a cigarette break every hour, and several U-turns! But we made it eventually, and Koh Chang was lovely! Lots of sunshine, lots of cocktails and lemon shakes, swimming in the sea and a beautiful waterfall, a Thai massage in a little hut on the beach and even an English breakfast with amazing homemade bread (not rice or noodles!) :D Needless to say, we had breakfast there 3 days in a row.

Got back to Surin in the early hours of Tuesday, so spent the night there, and then had another Big C trip, before heading back to Tha Tum.

Yesterday was Wednesday, and mostly consisted of catching up on sleep, catching up on my journal, doing washing and chilling out. It was also the night market, where we had been last week, but this week was a little less intimidating, as we are now used to the stares, and everyone laughing at us for being white. A driver passing by even leaned out of his window, while driving along, and shouted "Where you come from?!" - I'm just happy to hear some English. Most people just slow down on their mopeds, and some lift their visors, to have a good look at our pasty skin!

Anyway, at the market, we found chicken and rice, and pad thai, and hot, fresh donuts!! The best food I've had in Tha Tum so far. We have decided that we can eat well in Surin at the weekends (I had a currywurst at a German place the other day, yum!), and at the market on Wednesday, so we just have to make it through the other days of not knowing what we're given!

Also found some nice clothes stalls, and a shop on the corner where a lady speaks some English, so we're making progress. Yasmin even managed to buy a fish for her room - it's a camp fish called Emilio. A new addition to our little family!

Today everyone else has gone to school, and I am still without a job or visa, so catching up on everything... but called Nang, the lady who sorts these things, and she tells me she's coming to see me on Monday so I can sign a contract and go to Laos for a border run to sort my visa, so hopefully things should be ok!

Look forward to hearing all the news from back home!

Love to all xxx