Fast Forward

We wish we could tell you about all the amazing things we have seen in the past three weeks. Well...we could. But I have been storing it all away mentally hoping to sit down and put it all on here, and it is just building up and growing. Fortunately we have taken lots of pictures, as have our friends, so there are lots more of those to come. We have even started doing some video clips-which we can edit and upload to flickr as well. So for now, we are going to give a quick rundown of our time spent in Chiang Mai, Thailand.

-Sunshine Massage School: Not what Ashley expected, a bit frustrating for Rio as well, but at the end of the two weeks, we both had learned a great deal--but we were glad to be finished!

-Open Air Thai Restaurants: Right around the corner from the school, a particular one became Ashley's favorite eating place. Order your food at the stall on the sidewalk, have a seat, and the staff brings it to you in less than five minutes. The friendly owners spoke great English and tried to teach us a little Thai!!

-Smog: Unavoidable fact of life in much of southeast Asia, the pollution in Chiang Mai got even worse for us once we started zipping around on our rented scooter. The exhaust pouring out of fifteen year-old pick ups and tuk-tuks seemed to seep into our pours and created a nice layer of grime over our skin.

-Scooters: After less than two days riding around on it, Ashley asked if we could own one until our first kid came along! The only sensible way to travel around the congested cities-many folks use them for highway trips into the mountains as well! And from what we've seen, having children doesn't necessitate a car here...many times we saw husband and wives with one, and sometimes two kids riding the scooters together!

-Coups: The political situation in a lot of places is delicate, with layers of intricacy that even the citizens don't understand. The one we just went through here in Thailand was uneventful for us, as well as for many of the people we met here. Many folks experienced a lot of problems as a result of the dissension here, and unfortunately, many others got hurt, or even killed. But people protesting and taking a stand for their right to have a government they believe in is a right that every American should support and even applaud. Hurrah!

And that doesn't even scratch the surface. Today-(Sunday Night) we are in Pai, a few hours northeast of Chaing Mai. It's a laid-back mountain town, with tons of cool, groovy folks and fresh, clean air. But our hour is up and we will tell you more later!

LOVE