Josh & Lenette

Today was our first stop on our 7-day Alaskan cruise. We did a 4.5 mile hike to see the Mendenhall Glacier. It was beautiful. After the national park we walked around historic downtown Juneau and spent a small fortune on handmade ornaments.

Yesterday, was a travel day so we spent time relaxing and exploring the ship. We got a couples message and layed by the pool reading. So far, we went to an great Italian restaurant on board, saw two shows and hung out at the piano bar one night.

We are leaving port now and heading to Skagway for our next adventures. Since we have such limited reception and no laptop we will have to post pictures when we get home.

We’ve been so relaxed on this trip we almost forgot to post. Been here a week today. Staying with our good friends Jackie and Christine at Morritt’s Resort.

The first few days Josh & Christine dove around the island while Lenette and Jackie laid by the pool reading their nooks. We also went on a sunset, bioluminescent kayaking trip out of Kiobe.  The next day we swam with the giant stingrays.

Now we begin our voyage home, the worst part of a vacation.

**UPDATE**  Check out our pictures.

I am loving my time at Banbangkhae home for older adults. It is a very rewarding experience. Yesterday they took us on a field trip to a school outside of Bangkok with a group of older adults. Every month a group of the older adults are taken out to a impoverished school where they do activities with the kids.

They set up five stations and each older adult teaches a group of children a craft or cooking activity. Of course, since I loved to cook I helped at one of the cooking tables. Their is no direct translation for the appetizer we made with the kids but it was very healthy snack and the sauce was very spicy. It kind of reminded me of a mini lettuce wrap except the outside was wrapped in a noodle to hold it together. Mine were not very pretty. 🙂

Banbangkhae seems to put a lot of work in closing the gap between young and old. It is very important to the agency that older adults still feel like they can contribute and maintain a reciprocal relationship with the community. The kids were all very excited and the older adults were very patient, even with me. After wards, we passed out food to the kids and took group pictures. It was a great day and I am grateful to have been there.

Most of the volunteers left town this weekend, so it was just two of my girlfriends  and I at the CCS house for the weekend. We wanted down time since our weeks have been so busy as a group.

On Saturday, Michele, Holly, and I decided to sleep in. Then we meet up with the other volunteers in Bangkok at their fancy hotel to have lunch and lay by the pool a few hours. Later, we decided we wanted to have a night on the town. So we went home to relax and take our time primping.

Around 8pm we left the house to go to dinner and a show. We saw the drag cabaret show Calypso at the Asia hotel and had a blast. After the show, we wanted to go dancing so we went to the Hollywood club. The DJ was okay but there wasn’t really room to dance. So we just danced near our table.

It was very interesting to experience a Thai club. Instead of dancing most people seemed to be there to watch the go-go girls and the band, who sang what sounded like Thai rock ballads. We were told this we a very popular dancing destination. We had a good time anyways and headed home for a great night sleep. We were all glad to experience Bangkok at night.

I posted a bunch of new pictures! Check them out on our photo page.

Love,

Lenette

Every night, after we volunteer at our placements CCS has taken us to tourist destinations. They do a great job of hitting the highlights of Bangkok and giving volunteers some local perspective. My two favorite experiences thus far, have been a lecture on Buddhism and an Agricultural tour.

We met with a very famous local monk named Dr. Anil. He has his Phd in anthropology and is a practicing monk in Thailand.  His family has linage back to the original budda and he practices at the Wat where all the kings since Rama IV have been ordained. He teaches courses every other spring at Santa Clara in the states and has lectured many times at Stanford University on Buddhism. He is extremely intelligent and charismatic speaker but it didn’t hurt that he was gorgeous either. Needless to say, we were a very captive audience.

On Friday, we went on a group tour an hour out of Bangkok to explore local agriculture. To be honest, I was not very excited about this tour but it turned out to be one of my best experiences to date. We took longboat rides to an orchid farm, a womens’ coup that made local goods, and a jasmine rice field where we had a crazy tractor riding experience. But the a lotus farm has to be the most beautiful place I have been into in Thailand. Riding in a boat and picking flowers was amazing. It really made me miss Josh, experiencing something so amazing without him.

Lenette

My volunteer placement in Bangkok is at the Banbangkhae Social Welfare Development Center for Older Persons. It is a very large facility and the oldest elderly home in Thailand. It has become a training facility and sets the standard for elder care nationwide.

Banbangkhae One can house four hundred and fifty residents at varying levels of care. It also is a community center for the elderly where older adults from the community can come to do free activities or get free medical care.

I am placed there with two fellow volunteers from CSU, Chico. Our first day there we were given a tour and had lunch with the staff. In one of the recreation rooms some elderly tried to teach us how to play a Thai instrument and do traditional Thai dancing. It was a lot of fun.

On a typical day, we try to help with the morning activities, which are exercise, singing, and meditation. One of my fellow volunteers was brave enough to sing karaoke. Then we go the “handy-craft room” where the older adults have taught us to help make local crafts. Around 11am we help feed some of the elderly that are bed-bound. After lunch we try to help where ever we can until the CCS van picks us up.

We have been surprised that several of the residents speak more English than their staff. Many of the Thai’s we have met seem to have studied abroad or sent their children abroad for college. They appear very excited to have someone around to practice their English with and socialize in general.

It has been a very rewarding experience. Next week I am looking forward the field work staff have planned where we will be going into the community and helping older adults in their own neighborhoods.

Sawadeeka!

Lenette

My last few days have been jam packed of positive learning experiences.

Day 1:

First we were given a general overview. We learned more about Thai culture, the Cross Cultural Solutions (CCS) program, the house rules, and travel safety. Then we were sent out in groups for a scavenger hunt. My group had to go to the local market to buy three ingredients and go to a photo shop to ask how much it is to print pictures. It was a great activity to learn how to navigate in Bangsue and get us oriented with the district. That afternoon, we went to see the Temple of the Dawn and then the staff used our venture home as a lesson about the various transit system methods. After a long day, we were taken out to dinner by CCS staff.

Day 2:

In the morning, we were given information about basic health for volunteers and information about our specific volunteer placements. Then we had a Thai language course. I learned a lot but may have only retained about three words. I do understand a little more now, especially the significance of their five tones.  In the afternoon, we went to the Jim Thompson House. He is one responsible for making Thai silk famous around the world. He was an American who lived in Thailand after WWII. His home was stunning. It has incredible architecture and a selection of rare artifacts, not to mention the beautiful gardens.

The staff here at CCS are amazing. They are all so attentive and kind. Pimsuda, the program manager in CCS Bangkok, is the resident “mom” to all us CCS volunteers. The other staff help from everything to cooking to taking us on tours of the city. Pimsuda said, “Let us be your surrogate mother” and they have taken many measures to ensure our time her is great experience all around.

Normally, CCS includes tourism activities as part of the package for volunteers depending on their personal interests. However, in addition to lots of tourist spots, they have really catered to our group by adding activities that are specific to our field of study (Masters in social work students from CSU, Chico). For example, today we got to meet with social workers in Bangkok for a Q&A session.

Very grateful for this opportunity and looking forward to spending time at my volunteer placement.

Goodnight,

Lenette

After breakfast and a few errands this morning, Josh came with me to the Cross Cultural Solutions (CCS) base where I will be living for the next two weeks.  We shared lunch and then he took a cab to the airport around 1pm (our time) to start his 24-plus hour journey back to the states.

The CCS base is actually just outside of Bangkok in the BangSue district, so its a nice break from the city. It is a two-story residence with 5 bedrooms. There are common areas upstairs and downstairs, with a courtyard out front for us all to hang out. Staff is here all-day and a security guard is in the courtyard all night.

There are currently twenty CCS volunteers living in the house and I think fifteen of them are part of the Chico group. The rooms are dorm style so I am sharing a room with  two women. One is a friend from class and the other has been volunteering here for weeks so she knows all the ropes. I just finished unpacking and settling in.

Yesterday, Josh and I went to Ayutthaya on a travel bus tour. The ruins of the ancient city were stunning. We opted to take a river boat back to Bangkok to see the city from the canal vantage point. There was a large disparity of the different types of homes on the river and it was interesting to see the Grand Palace from the water.

I will put up a few pictures tonight from last two days of our trip together before I go to bed tonight.

Lenette

We arrived safely yesterday in Bangkok to find our hotel was somewhat lacking in the charm, cleanliness, and peacefulness categories.  It was definitely a deal in price but you paid for it in other ways.  We made it about 2 hours and decided to relocate.  The Prince Palace hotel is probably one of the nicer hotels we have stayed at.  We prefer the boutique hotels but there is something to be said for a 21st floor view from a suite.

Today we explored the Grand Palace and the National Museum along with a couple Wats.  We learned much about the Thai’s extensive history, which is nice to put all the sight seeing in perspective.  We realize now we could have spent days at the Grand Palace and never see it all.

Our favorite Tuk-Tuk driver to date was named Moon, who was patient while we explored all of today’s sights.  Despite his crafty driving, it is hard to not get overwhelmed by the pollution that is even more obvious here in Bangkok.

Tomorrow, we are off to the ancient city and original capital of Ayutthaya to enjoy our last full day of our trip together.

Josh & Lenette

Yesterday, we went to the Mae Sa Elephant Camp. During the show, the elephants did everything from play soccer to delicately paint on an easel. Afterwards, we road an elephant up through the hills to the Mae Sa craft village where we bought goods from the tribes of the Long Neck Karen and Lahu.

Later, we went back to Chiang Mai to an orchid farm and, although it was not the prime season, the flora were still stunning and lush. There were many vibrant colors and varieties of orchids, some we had never seen before. The orchids hang in baskets so their roots are exposed to the humidity and hang 4-5 feet to the ground.

Today, we went to the Wat Phra That Doi Suthep. Built on the side of the mountain, it was the most beautiful temple we’ve seen so far. There were great vistas of Chaing Mai from the temple but the city’s smog ruined some of the visibility. We enjoyed sitting at the temple cafe having a waffle for a snack and people watching.

Tonight we finished the last of our souvenir shopping at the Night Bazaar just outside our hotel. Tomorrow morning we are off to Bangkok for the last few days of our trip together. Safe journey.

Josh & Lenette