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Originally uploaded by migratorynature.
Wednesday, April 30, 2008
Tuesday, April 29, 2008
AT HOME ON A BOAT
Last week we took our best adventure trip yet when we sailed out to sea for 4 days and went scuba diving around the Similan Islands. Before reading further it is imperative that you understand the Similans are on the list of top ten best dive sites in the world. We could barely contain our excitement when the boat finally arrived to pick us up.
We ate our meals and slept on the MV JAZZ, a cream of the crop boat for divers and ironically also musicians. All meals were accompanied by hits from the 80's. Evening meals were preceded by guitar jam sessions. Dive jumps off the back of the boat were soundtracked with tunes like "Jaws" and "Star Wars". At night, turtles followed our boat using the flood lights to hunt for food. But Katie swears that the only reason turtles showed up is because they too, dig the sound of Jimi Hendrix.
After we exhausted ourselves with diving and music, it was time to go home. We sailed back to the main land thus becoming land lubbers again. Check out the official Trelstad Family Photo for 2008, taken at 60 feet below the surface of the ocean.
We ate our meals and slept on the MV JAZZ, a cream of the crop boat for divers and ironically also musicians. All meals were accompanied by hits from the 80's. Evening meals were preceded by guitar jam sessions. Dive jumps off the back of the boat were soundtracked with tunes like "Jaws" and "Star Wars". At night, turtles followed our boat using the flood lights to hunt for food. But Katie swears that the only reason turtles showed up is because they too, dig the sound of Jimi Hendrix.
After we exhausted ourselves with diving and music, it was time to go home. We sailed back to the main land thus becoming land lubbers again. Check out the official Trelstad Family Photo for 2008, taken at 60 feet below the surface of the ocean.
Monday, April 28, 2008
Sunday, April 27, 2008
Monday, April 21, 2008
Tuesday, April 15, 2008
SONGKRAN 2008
We are so glad to be home in Thailand for Songkran, the Thai Buddhist New Year's Celebration. Songkran creates absolute maddness in the streets because people are walking around with waterguns, buckets and free-flowing hoses: dousing each other all day long. All the water throwing is to symbolically wash your friends of their "sins" in preparation for the new year. We were hit by several drive by squirt gun shootings. To be honest, the shootings may not have been completely unprovoked (insert mischevious smile here). Even the police take a day off from their usual stoic perching on street corners to have a little fun.
Katie decided to take this holiday as an opportunity to wash the police of their sins of writing a particularily high speeding ticket to an unsuspecting, and completely innocent (of course) pair of foreign english teachers. Katie walked up to the police man and chucked a bucket of water at him, drenching his uniform thus thoroughly clearing him of all wrong-doings. It was a purifying and nearly religious experience for Katie too. Warning: Do not try this at home! American police wouldn't be so light hearted and fun loving. See the pictures below.
Katie decided to take this holiday as an opportunity to wash the police of their sins of writing a particularily high speeding ticket to an unsuspecting, and completely innocent (of course) pair of foreign english teachers. Katie walked up to the police man and chucked a bucket of water at him, drenching his uniform thus thoroughly clearing him of all wrong-doings. It was a purifying and nearly religious experience for Katie too. Warning: Do not try this at home! American police wouldn't be so light hearted and fun loving. See the pictures below.
Monday, April 14, 2008
Sunday, April 13, 2008
Saturday, April 12, 2008
Friday, April 11, 2008
Thursday, April 10, 2008
Wednesday, April 9, 2008
SOUTHERN VIETNAM
Our adventure has brought us to Saigon a.k.a. Ho Chi Minh City (depending on who you ask). The good news is that we are seeing the most beautiful pagodas, Buddhist Temples, and war-inspired artwork in all of Asia. The streets are nicely paved in the city and there's always a well-manicured park just around the corner.
An interesting fact: There are 5 million motorcycles in Saigon. Motorcycles are the most common form of transportation and a new fashion movement has erupted as a result. Instead of Versace and Louis Vuitton handbags, here you can buy brand name seat covers and decal stickers for your motorbike. Dust masks are a must when cruising, and Saigon offers dust masks in many stylish designs and colors to suit your mood. Or you can buy one to correspond with each day of the week, just like underwear!
It's fascinating to be seeing anti-American propaganda. At home in the states many people share the notion that America is currently making some political enemies. This reality hit us in the face when we watched an "education video", which called Americans a "band of devils who will shoot their guns at women, children, trees, the ground or whatever stands on their path to imperialist domination". We also heard things like, "How dare a country who's name is barely yet on the map bully around other countries with thousands of years of history".
We visited the War Museum which is also a place you would never find in America. Inside the museum are walls covered with photos of dead babies, bombed school houses and hospitals, victims of agent orange, deformed babies of soldiers who were exposed to agent orange and more recently, children who've stepped on land mines and lost limbs. There are even current pictures of victims of the wars in Iraq, Afganistan, Kosovo and Angola. We've never seen such truth telling about the real price of war: human life. We are shocked, guilt-ridden, angry and plain dumbstruck by the visuals of what our country has done to others.
Looking deeper into the reality of Vietnam, the culture and economy are still so fragile from the American War and post-war communist restructuring that it may not be the best place to visit for a relaxing holiday. There are still many people in the south who are not afraid to talk about their animosity toward the north. There are still many people everywhere who proudly call Americans, French, Japanese and Chinese "The Enemy".
In truth, we feel quite lucky to have the opportunity to see Vietnam without having to stay here and live in it. Both of us are leaving Vietnam wide-eyed, having gained a simultaneous experience of gratitude and resentment for the freedoms we have as Americans.
An interesting fact: There are 5 million motorcycles in Saigon. Motorcycles are the most common form of transportation and a new fashion movement has erupted as a result. Instead of Versace and Louis Vuitton handbags, here you can buy brand name seat covers and decal stickers for your motorbike. Dust masks are a must when cruising, and Saigon offers dust masks in many stylish designs and colors to suit your mood. Or you can buy one to correspond with each day of the week, just like underwear!
It's fascinating to be seeing anti-American propaganda. At home in the states many people share the notion that America is currently making some political enemies. This reality hit us in the face when we watched an "education video", which called Americans a "band of devils who will shoot their guns at women, children, trees, the ground or whatever stands on their path to imperialist domination". We also heard things like, "How dare a country who's name is barely yet on the map bully around other countries with thousands of years of history".
We visited the War Museum which is also a place you would never find in America. Inside the museum are walls covered with photos of dead babies, bombed school houses and hospitals, victims of agent orange, deformed babies of soldiers who were exposed to agent orange and more recently, children who've stepped on land mines and lost limbs. There are even current pictures of victims of the wars in Iraq, Afganistan, Kosovo and Angola. We've never seen such truth telling about the real price of war: human life. We are shocked, guilt-ridden, angry and plain dumbstruck by the visuals of what our country has done to others.
Looking deeper into the reality of Vietnam, the culture and economy are still so fragile from the American War and post-war communist restructuring that it may not be the best place to visit for a relaxing holiday. There are still many people in the south who are not afraid to talk about their animosity toward the north. There are still many people everywhere who proudly call Americans, French, Japanese and Chinese "The Enemy".
In truth, we feel quite lucky to have the opportunity to see Vietnam without having to stay here and live in it. Both of us are leaving Vietnam wide-eyed, having gained a simultaneous experience of gratitude and resentment for the freedoms we have as Americans.
Tuesday, April 8, 2008
Monday, April 7, 2008
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