Well hi everyone. we made it. the flight was so long and the food was awful...emily never ask for the veggie meal you are better off with the meat meal. so to say the least i did not have much to eat on an 18 hr flight besides 4 dinner rolls and a yogurt. and since we have been here i think we have only eaten 1 meal a day. it is absolutely crazy here....once we got through customs and out into the world of bangkok we knew we were going to have a bit of a tough time ahead of us...not knowing a bit of the languge...a guy that talked with us and gave us some thailand pointers...he\s been coming here for 6 years...told us it would only cost us about 600 baht to get to bangkok but already we had taxi poeople hounding us for 900baht...so we waited for the guy to get thru customs and we basically latched onto him...he showed us the ropes...go down stairs and get a taxi there...we got to bankok for less then 300 baht...we dropped him off at his hotel and then we were on our own with a driver that only knew u-turn, one way and okay...needless to say we drove around with this taxi driver for nearly two hours trying to get to a guest house that was still open...at 400 i the morning we finally found one...we had no idea where we were...but it turned out perfect, we were right next to the 35 acre market...where you guys all got presrnt for x-mas hehe ....we walked arounf it for 6 hrs on empty stomachs cause let me tell you the food here is freaky and the smells even freakier. and who ever told us we would meet thais that speak english were wrong...i can now say two things in thai ..... khawp khun kah - thank you and thoa rai - how much - don't think i spelt those right though tehe. i am learning more, like numbers and soon i hope i will have them committed to memory. the traffic is crazy too and we keep forgetting to look the wrong way when crossing since they drive on the opposite side...we have not been hit yet, but i came close to getting hit tonigth by a parked car that did not have its break on...some thais had to stop it from rolling on me as i jumped out of teh way...leave it too me....the thais are amzing poeple and we in no way have felt threatened yet...today we moved to a new guest house with the bathroom down the hall in kahao sun which is like haight street in sf...it is way crazy here and definately a little more sketchy but high on energy...janell and i still have not adjusted to the time change....tomorrow we go on a tour to eriwan falls...we are going to tiger temple-we can pet the tigers, the water falls, riding down the river on bamboo rafts, riding elephants up to the falls and checking out a temple...all for 600 baht about 15 dollars including the train, bus ride there-about two hrs and lunch...on tuesday we are heading over to cambodia on a double decker bus across teh border then on mini buses to ankgor. the oldest city...rediculously old...i will tell you more after i learn more...things to note...we saw about 1000 puppies for sell in the market at least tht many rabbits, hampsters, jerbals, and birds...so sad...and squirrels with knitted hats and shirts for sell on little leashes...even sadder....ivory tusk, claws from either bears or mtn lions...fried scorpions, magotts, roaches, grass hoppers...so discusting...now do you wonder why we have not eaten? eric thanks for teh granola bar...there is tons of cross dressing here...the story goes the prettier the girl the more the man...the city does not shut down...I got squished between the elevator doors...they don't open after they hit something...we have not riden a tuk tuk...we took a river boat ride today...so amazing, down to a temple...we made donation...got gold coins and made prayers to the buddas...i gave a coin for each of you...i am sick an have been since the flight...my stomach wont hold anything... my back hurts whe i sneeze and i can't move my neck...not a good start....we are not used to teh time change...believe it when poeple say you can come here with just a plane ticket and money in your pocket...there are so many great clothes to buy here and for so cheap..i bought a bathing suit for 2 dollars and a dress for 6...

once a year they light up the river with floating flower arragngements, boats with lighting and music, pictures of the king, set off fireworks and have  big festival and we were lucky enough to e right in teh middle of it all...we each bought a ka thaong to drop into the river after you light the incense and candle and say a prayer....i got splashed by the nasty water after a baot wake came splashiing up onto the baord walk...this is the same water the sewer is released into untreated of course, they also bathe, do laundry, wash dishes and cook with thos water...not to mention we saw little kids swimming in it....the river is so full right now is splases up over the walls and into the city...they hav sand bags up to contain it...it is really brown and murky and rushes fast out to sea....when we were on the boat we were able to see how some of the thais live, the amazing temples and structures...everything is covered in a black film...the city looks ancient and worn...

there are millions of street vendors selling baggies full of some sort of liguid and who knows what kind of solid substance....they eat every part of the animal...nothing is wasted...this morning we stopped at a street vendor and got toast with margrine and covered in sugar...we also bough corn in a baggie cut off the cob and covered in salt...that was really good...we are trying to be brave but it is hard when we can not decifer the substance

that is it for now...we are having fun and keep laughing and giving high fives....we just can\t belive we are here and how amzing this place is....every moment gets better then the next and we have just started...

why you dream we are roaming the streets and checking out new sights...and we start to dream as you wake up to a new day...it is weird to think that...miss you all and love you

mom will you please send a blast out to those that might not get this in their mail...

dad we are thinking of checking out vietnam too

travis i can't wait to do something like this with you...i miss and love you