Well, it's official. I'm now a coffee snob! With what little money I had, I bought a coffee grinder and some whole coffee beans. The best cuppa I ever had! I've been living off instant since my return from Thailand, and revelled in the foamy goodness of a decent cup of coffee.

I do have to go into town to check if my money has some through. I hope so, life just isn't the same when you have to worry. I had a flash-back to when I lived in the van and had only one American dollar to my name then. It didn't feel so bad. I have said that I have a place to sleep, food in the cupboards and a bathroom. Better than before! What am I complaining about? If the money's not there I'll talk with Miga tomorrow.

As you all know, it was Earth Day April 22. I took it seriously and felt it my duty to educate these kids about recycling and turning off the lights and what not. In a place such as this, where power failures seem to be a daily occurrence and water is piped in, it seems relevant to educate the young. It really struck me when we went to 13th Century "Village" and when the kids saw about 20 trees together they said "Look! Miss M! A forest!" I had to tell them that it wasn't, that it wasn't even close! All the forests in Mongolia have been chopped down already. They need a tree planter like me to come in and, ow, my back hurts already! Still, renewable resource.

We made posters and discussed cows, cigarettes and turning off the lights and the tap. Then we braved the wind and went out to pick up trash! I did not say, "Well, class, we are going to go out there and pick up garbage." No, no no. You say, "Hey kids, don't we want to do our part? Let's go clean!" Seriously, they were the most enthusiastic garbage picker uppers I've ever seen! We headed out with our plastic gloves and bags and filled them to the brim. They were asking me to take them to the monument nearby to do the same. I'm so proud!

Another bout of parent/teacher interviews is done. After the last one today I realized it would be my last one this year, as after the last reports go out, I will most likely have left the country, or at least be unreachable. They were mostly, fairly, painless. Most of the parents had spoken with me throughout the year and there were no new surprises for anyone. I did have a bit of a run in with one parent. She finally showed up after two previously missed meetings. She was livid with me! I held my ground and spoke my part. The fact of the matter was, I had truth behind me, and that was what helped me. Some of the parents view themselves as above recourse because of their standing. Well, little do they know, I treat each and every person the same way. An old habit from waitressing. I don't care if you have money or no, you still get the same service. That's how I've viewed this too. If you want to know the truth of it all, her child has, and probably will still continue to, lie. I also caught her in some lies. What troubles me the most is that she has not seen one test or any of the homework the entire year. She came in spitting fire but had nothing concrete to speak of, only her son's word. I literally had to stare her down. I have never had that. I think she thought I'd break, but no go.

I've been having some money problems this week. I had only one American dollar left in my bank account upon my return from Thailand. I have borrowed about $30 from the staff, just for little necessities. Well, I was so happy seeing as how I got paid today. When I went to withdraw funds, they weren't there! I waited until 4:00, still none. I waited until 5:00, still none. I was forced to withdraw from my Canadian account, but not nearly enough. I'm hoping it's not a mix up since I've changed accounts. I did give Miga my new account number. It's okay though, I have enough to get me through until Monday if the money's not there tomorrow.

I went with Doogie today after school to get a face massage. I had to wait a bit, but I'm still not sure if it was worth it. It was very cheap, yes. But, don't we also pay for ambiance? I had to endure her son coming in with his friend the entire time, yelling and doing homework. Homework was the last thing I needed to be around! Plus, the son was digging around at my head and pulled out this sandwich that stank of meat. They were in and out of the room and she kept saying "Shh!" and I felt I was an imposition. Also, she had these harsh bar lights right over my eyes. Plus, she got so much moisturizer in my eyes, I can barely see straight! My eyes are redder than a ripe tomato!

I have to admit, I've been in a bit of a post-vacation depression. Things have been tense for me here with yearbook looming and all the parent teacher interviews. I have lost that light at the end of the tunnel, where I'm coming home in two months. It's a tiny light now, focused on what is at hand. I can be excited later. Farley! I miss you.

Okay, I am, unfortunately, almost finished with my trip. This is the best day for me though. I went and swam with the dolphins!

I got picked up early and taken to the dolphin show, after which, I put on my life jacket, made sure my nails were trimmed to specification, and slowly got into the water. I also had to take off my bracelet and take out my belly ring. After touching the dolphins, I understand why. They, actually, are very soft and many had "accidents". They had sore spots. Still, I got to touch them!

The dolphins looked differently than I'd expected. The most recognizable type was actually pink in colour! The other type didn't have the bottle nose. They were the cutest though! I got to kiss, be kissed, and hang onto their fin and swim around the area. It was too much. Again, I couldn't help but think how lucky I was! There was a woman from Russia who refused to ruin her manicure and did not get into the water. I got Nookie to take my picture. I fed the dolphins headless fish and danced with them as well! Such a treat!

Ah, but this was just the beginning of our day! After this amazing experience we traveled to a crocodile farm. I fed the crocodiles raw chicken! We had these bamboo poles where the chicken was attached at the end by string. We lowered the end into the area and the crocodiles loved it! I was getting annoyed with this Chek couple as they viewed it as funny to tease and taunt both the dolphins and the crocodiles with the food being offered. In my opinion, we were lucky to just be in the same vicinity as these great creatures, and to taunt them could possibly lead to other ramifications. That's just me though.

Also on this farm the kept reindeer, wild boars, peacocks, and ostriches! Everything ate bananas and we fed them. The ostriches were the the funniest because they had that long, skinny neck and when they ate the banana, it stuck out obviously in their throat. There were many roosters and chickens around. They are long and thin, not the modified ones you see in N.America with those gigantic breasts. There was even a monkey from the deep jungle. It stared at us and did not seem happy to be stuck in the cage. It cried all the time. I have to admit, it was amazing to see. It swung around as if it were really floating.

I ran out of room on my memory sticks, and am kicking myself for not getting a new one before arriving in Thailand. I tried to buy one, but they don't sell them at the 7-11! Yes, Thailand came complete with 7-11, Starbucks, KFC and McDonalds! I refused to step foot in all of the above.

After feeding the animals bananas we headed to Phliu, this incredible waterfall! There were literally thousands of carp in the waters and we swam with them and also fed them green beans. It felt very strange to be in the water with so many other creatures, and they tried to eat me! Nookie, thinking it was funny, put some beans in the water near me and caused a frenzy! The fish rubbing against you and touching you was an uncomfortable feeling. Plus, I kept worrying about stepping on them, but they swam away. The did keep trying to eat the ties of my bathing suit because they were green and floating in the water.

I was some kind of a superstar at this water fall for some reason! So many random people just wanted to have their picture taken with me because the found me beautiful. Me! I have to admit, I was flattered. Nookie made the joke later that everything in Thailand loved me; the people, mosquitoes, sand flies, even the butterflies! This one butterfly wouldn't leave me alone. I did not manage to get a picture of it, but this one blue butterfly was all over me and actually landed on my head at one point.

This is how bananas grow!

I had an issue with the front desk after I returned from my amazing day. They told me I had to check out at 1:00 the next day, but I know I paid for a late check out. I was not leaving until 6:00. They offered to watch my bags and the like, but still. I approached the owner and said nicely, "Look, I'm having this issue...." He just walked away from me! I was flabbergasted! However, I could not find my sheet with this information printed out. Knowing me, I threw it away after my check-in. I did decide to become trite and refused to spend any more money at the resort after his dismissal of me.

Okay, last day. I spent the last day just swimming at will. I knew I'd never see water again for many months. I also held off on this decision I'd made, due to the consequences being no swimming! I did get two tattoos there. Once I discovered my name in Thai was "Meow" I had to have it on my body! Plus, I got my baby Farley's name done over my heart. Every time I see my Farle's name, I get elated and happy. Only two months to go and I'll be hugging my baby again. Gee, I sure miss him. I have never traveled without him before. Mom, I hope you understand!

It's funny though, to me, because everyone here since I've gotten back has made comments about my tan. Eggie, Yumchigma's older brother, asked me what happenend? Here, and even in Thailand, all the skin products are about whitening, making you look more Western. I just don't get it!

I am very much annoyed with Mongolia right now! It's not Thailand! I had to go into town last night, and due to the bus being late, I missed the bank. My bank card was not working and I ended up coming home empty handed. My vacation (ahhh!) left me with one American dollar in my bank account. I needed to exchange what American money I had and hopefully my Chinese money too. Well, I wound up borrowing money from Maureen. Today, I went back into town and the bank opened at 2:00. It was 20 to. I walked to the other bank only to discover it was closed! I walked back and they refused to exchange my Chinese money. Rats! So, what little money I had is now spent! Plus, people were constantly trying to run me over! What's up with the Mongolian drivers! They are racing just to have to stop! I have to admit, I was annoyed and when a car finally slowed down to let me cross the road, I went very slowly and stared at the driver. Ohh! I'm bad!

Okay, Thailand. I'm on Day 5 I think. It was my day of rest. I shopped until I dropped! I bought some gifts for the students, these tiny, bronze statues and some wooden, cat statues. I also bought a really cool buddah lamp, a sarong, and a new skirt. Plus, I got a new wrap skirt to replace my old, worn out one from California and a white, breezy shirt. I got really good at bargining. They would show me the price on the calculator, I'd say no. They would gesture for me to show them the price I'd pay. They'd say no. I'd walk away and they'd chase me down. Oh, I also got a pair of crocs that are very comfortable.

There were these Thai guys, who may have been Cambodian, who were harassing me last night. They kept sending this poor little boy up to my room to give me roses and orchid necklaces. I finally agreed to come down and have a drink with them. They spoke no English. I mimed to them and after one beer I said (acted out) that I was going for a swim and then to bed. I think it was about 9:00. I went to bed and they came and knocked on my door. I had blown them kisses goodnight, but they seemed to think they were going to come into my room! I shut the door on them and put on the chain lock.

Well, tonight, they were up to the same antics. I said thank you but made it clear I wanted to be alone. They tried to entice me to their table, but I was firm. If they bug me another day, I'll speak to the receptionist. They were destroying my serenity.

I ate crab off the bar-b-que tonight. Last time I had the squid and it was so freakin' delicious! I also had the spring rolls again. I had to get the "chef" to show me how to eat the crab, and there were four of them! There must have been something off with the seafood, as I projectile vomited them up later. I was just sitting there, thinking how happy I was, when suddenly everything came rushing up! I was lucky to make it to the bathroom in time. Afterwards I felt okay and worried I would not be well enough for the dolphins the next morning.

The sand fly bites here are much worse than the mosquitoes. You have no idea it's happening until the next day and they leave these massive red marks. Anong had told me that the tiger balm is no good for them, you have to use strong tobacco. However, Nookie contradicted him. She said the tiger balm is okay. I still have the marks on my legs and Doogie was shocked when she saw them. The mosquito bites swelled up rather large on me (and of course they loved me!) but the tiger balm took away the itch.

I laughed to myself because a girl saw me heading into the water the other night and she asked, "Are you going swimming, NOW?" I just said, "Yeah!" Like the ocean closed at sundown or something. After dark, no more swimming!

Initially, everyone here was saying, "You're here alone?" Later, it became, "Oh, she's alone." I have caused quite the stir! I have to force myself not to say, "What part of my vacation is your business?" That's just residual tension. They're just curious. I can't blame them, I'd be the same way.

This is me being happy in the waves. Like I said earlier, I have discoverd I'm happiest either near or in the water. I'm definately a cancer! I got this German man on the beach to take my picutre. I asked, "Can you take a picture of me looking happy in the waves?" He replied, "Well, that depends, can you look happy?" I think so!

Another week has finished here at ASU, and we're one week closer to the end of the school year. I hadn't imagined it looming so quickly, but yet here it is. There are only 8 weeks now, and I feel on schedule with the studies needed to be covered.

Due to the Olympics in Beijing this next summer, travelling back here will be difficult. We are going to be routed through Tokyo. Colin, the 2nd grade teacher here, put a little bug in my brain about staying there for a few days. I thought "Well, h-e-double hockey sticks, when am I going to be there again?" So, I have arranged to stay for about 3 days there too. It's an exciting prospect to me.

It's hard to believe that only a week ago, I was lounging on the beach and feeding crocodiles raw chicken. Well, here's more of Thailand!

I have decided that travelling alone is just perfect. If it's swim o'clock, that's what time it is. If it's food o'clock, if it's beer o'clock, doesn't matter. I was happy in my haze of hedonism and selfishness.

I believe I was on day 3. This was jungle trek day. And what a trek it was! It was so humid and rainy that morning. There were only 3 of us on the trek, this German couple I met on the Monday elephant riding. Our guide told us he usually has 15 to 20 people. Anong was our tour guide that day and was a wonderful man. He lived in the forests of Cambodia for 20 years searching for rubies. He showed me some. He had the baggie of many small, uncut rubies. He told me what a dangerous place it is to live. He lived in a cave or slept outside. He also is very much into meditation, and I have you say, you can tell. He was a very measured man in his movements and a quiet, but deep, presence. I told him I was no good at meditation because I can never quiet my brain.

Anong had been doing this tour for 4 years. He said that he'd trekked into the jungle alone one day, and sat on a rock. He meditated about what to do since he'd returned from Cambodia, and the idea of being a tour guide came to him. I'm glad it did! He was wonderful. I did tell him he could be famous since I'd mention him on my blog. He laughed!

I was a complete spaz on the trek. I fell down a few times and was all over the place. I must have a limited sense of balance. Maybe that's why I've never been good at sports.

Anong asked me how old I was, because we were hiking up this very steep mountain, him barely breathing and me wheezing away, and I said, "I'm old!" I told him I was 32. He asked me to guess how old he was and I figured him to be about 40. Not so! He was 59!

The actual trek itself was incredible. The forest is so amazingly beautiful. To begin the day it was humid and rainy. The air is just so heavy, you sweat. I have a greater appreciation for soldiers sent to places like Vietnam. Walking all day in those shoes. By the end of the day, I looked like I had trench foot! It's not like a "oh, I'm glistening" kind of sweat. It's an all over body, huge drops are falling off my face kind of sweat. My clothes were soaked. We also had to change our shoes into these flashback 1980's kind of jelly shoes. Apparently they are better on the rocks.

Anong had mapped out the route over time for us, and strung up heavy ropes along the route. We were scaling rocks up and down! For someone who's afraid of heights, I think I did pretty well. I may have been a bit of a spaz, but I held my own. I also figured out where camouflage comes from. My pants matched the trees! I had no lower half! We were like a bunch of mountain climbers though, and it was an impressive hike. Toward the end he gave us the option of the short or long way home. The German's, probably in their late 40's, and I gleefully accepted the short way. We were tired. We were hiking for about 6 hours, climbing up and down giant boulders and just plain being hot.

I have to admit, I was a bit dumbfounded when Anong, upon hearing that I live in Mongolia, told me it was his dream to go to Mongolia. "What? Really?" I asked. We talked about the physical nature of Mongolia, and I told him there is no forest and not really any water, at least not any you'd go swimming in. Mostly sand and wind. I hope I didn't disappoint him. We did talk about the culture and he told me that Thai people originally came from Mongolia. We also talked about Chingis. How can you not?

There wasn't much in the way of wildlife, due to the weather, but there was a wild boar running away from us, and a money also seen running away. There were these land leeches. They were kind of like caterpillars, but they sucked your blood if they could. We did see a bat as well, but the younger guide poked him with a stick and I didn't get a chance to see him. Thankfully, no spiders!

This is one of the many waterfall pools I got to swim in. Cool water, refreshing, and filled with fish. Anong brought along this packet of Ramen noodles. He broke it up and fed it to the fish. They went into a frenzy over it! I was surprised to learn the fish would eat that, but he said they'd eat anything put into the water.

Anong taught us much in the ways of the rain forest. You can eat leaves, "like a monkey", and fed us fruit and such. You could tell where the monkeys had been due to the fruit rinds left behind. He even caught an iguana for us!

I'll just leave you with this, as I'm exhausted even though I went to bed at 8:30 last night. Once again, Ahhh!

Today was R-day. Report cards went out. The best students in the class were so worried! I did yearbook and went home as usual. I finally decided to seek out my musty clothes from Thailand and braved the laundry room. All three washers were free! But, alas, I was low on detergent. I borrowed some from Naiomi and headed to the store at about 5:00.

As I was walking down the school steps, I saw a child from the back and thought, 'Gee, that sure looks like Munkhbold.' He turns around and says, "Hi, Miss M!" I asked him what he was still doing there and he said he hadn't been picked up yet. I knew that previously he'd been forgotten by his driver (most people have drivers here) and had been left until 5:30. He'd been so upset he cried! I took him into the school (which he thought was locked) and had him call his driver. I left him to head to the store and he called out to me, "Miss M! Do you need any money?" I said no, I'm fine. Then he said, "You're a really nice person." When I returned, he was still there. I suggested he ask his mother for a cell phone in case his driver forgets him again. I sat down to wait with him and he refused. As I was walking away he shouted "Miss M! You're the best teacher I've ever had!" I just laughed. But, my heart was full.

Okay, more Thailand.

Day 3 - Snorkeling

Our guide today was Tom, this incredibly good looking German man. As I quickly discovered, most of the people on the boat were German. There were probably about 20 or 25 of us. We all set off in this huge boat and breakfast was served. I had no idea any meal other than lunch was included, so I had enjoyed my free "shrimp" omelet on the ocean earlier. I scrounged up a seat right on the bow, next to this older German couple. The male of this couple was extremely fat, good thing the water is so buoyant here! (Yes, I'm mean! I wasn't about to ask him to take my photo, let alone rub any lotion on my back.)

Before we hit the hot snorkeling spots we stopped off at Koh Mak, a small resort island. I wasn't really sure why we were there, but later talks with Tom revealed he was planning on opening a backpackers oasis there. I nearly got attacked by a dog, which is strange in Thailand because all the dogs are beggars, basically, and know that if they're nice to humans they'll get fed. I also had approached this nice looking woman to take my photo. After doing so, she kind of hung around, so we chatted. Nothing too interesting, but she assumed I was American initially. She then said, "Well, being Canadian is basically the same thing." I said that saying something like that to a Canadian is like telling a person from New Zealand that they're basically from Australia. She quickly back peddled and said, "Now that I talk to you more, I can hear that you're not American at all." This actually sends me off on a bit of another tangent though. I met another Canadian couple on my last night, I quickly realized my conversation skills have deteriorated. I have a tendency now to speak rather brokenly when dealing with others because I'm used to people having little to no English. I walked away, feeling a bit of a dummy, but resolved to try to not let my vocabulary diminish.

We finally set back off on the boat. I fully realized the value of sea legs, and discovered again what a spaz I am! I was walking around as if I were drunk, and it was strange. We made it to our first destination and the crew began to throw bread into the water to attract the fish for us. As I went into the water I was completely surrounded by these smallish, black and white fish. I just floated and let them swim around me. It was incredible, until I heard from above, "Cat! Cat!" I looked up to discover I was about to bonk my head into the motor boat trailed behind the main boat. Sheepishly, I changed direction. The spell was broken.

There were so many amazing fish to see! The coral reefs were so big and so diverse, it made me wish for a waterproof camera. One of the crew gave me this shell and I was confused. I said, "There's something in it." They took it from me and pried the Shiva's eye out, sanded it down and gave it to me. It is beautiful. The crew who snorkeled with us decided I was their project. That is one of the benefits of traveling alone. People seem to worry about you more. They motioned to me underwater and took me to see amazing things. They handed me star fish and sea cucumbers. I was laden with Shiva's eyes and other things toward the end of the day. More for show and tell! I did manage to get a severe back burn. Two 45 minute stints in the water with only my back exposed did it. I put sun screen on like mad, but it still happened. That Mongolian winter!

Funny thing happened this morning. When I woke up my eyes were fine. In fact, my health had been great since I got there. My cough went away and I was sleeping very well. However, while I was eating breakfast I touched the cat (this cat also found it's way into my room once and climbed out over the balcony and went who knows where). I must have touched my eye, because as I finished breakfast, my eye started to itch. I rubbed it (probably with the same finger I had used to touch the cat in the first place), that made it worse. By the time the truck came to pick me up, my whole left eye was incredibly swollen. As the time drew near for me to be picked up, I worried it would swell completely shut. It didn't, and about 6 hours later it was almost back to normal. So strange though! I had the remnant swelling for a couple of days after. Thank heavens for my ginormous, purple sunglasses. I don't think anyone noticed.

I have decided to make my own religion. I will never ask anyone to join. I call it 'Spiritual Energism' and I am a spiritual energist. It makes sense to me!

Thailand, travel to and first day

The day went as painlessly as could have been expected. I have decided that the worst part of travel is the airports. I think it's especially worse here having to go through Beijing. Not that the airport is bad, it's just the wait time in between flights. I had to wait 13 hours on the way back, and I think about 8 or 9 the way there.

Jack picked Richard and I up at 4:30 am and we were on the same flight at Oyuna and her family, as well as some familiar faces from school! Richard and I also were seated next to one another on the flight into Beijing, so I didn't mind sharing such a small space. He is a courteous traveller. After our landing though, I quickly took my part and headed off to terminal 3. The airport in Beijing doesn't make much sense to me. I had to take a train and a bus to get to my next terminal. I guess that's why the wait periods between flights is so long. I had many hours to fill so I ate some spicy Korean soup, napped and read.

After getting on the flight to Bangkok, I discovered I had three seats alone! I stretched out luxuriously. When I woke up I had drooled all over my purple Thai pillow. I did try to take some photos out the airplane window, but none of them turned out.

I was disappointed to learn that the "international credit card" I paid for is not a credit card at all! I was concerned about having enough money for my trip, but that was quickly dispelled after I changed my American funds to Thai baht. I was mostly concerned though that my worst nightmare would come true. That after all my planning and emailing and such, no one would be there to pick me up from the airport.

As luck would have it, this did not come true! The sign read "Chtherine Mihowich", but that had to be me. Nookie and her boss from Syriana tours picked me up right on schedule. I then too discovered I had the entire van to myself for the ride to Koh Chang. What luck! Nookie began talking to me about various trips I could take with them and they all sounded amazing. Snorkeling, elephant riding, water falls, and yes, dolphin swimming.

My flight got in later than the ferry to Koh Chang ran, so we drove for a bit, slept, drove and I finally made it there after 28 hours. It wasn't particularly sunny that morning. The desk reservationist was expecting me the night before and I had a flash of panic that they'd given my room away. Not so! I had a smallish room with a giant, clean, white king sized bed with a balcony facing the water. Who could ask for anything more?

After checking in I had my free breakfast. It was an interesting concoction called an omelet. It had cauliflower, carrots, and even broccoli in a sweet red sauce surrounded by scrambled egg. It was good though to sit on the open patio and take in the sights. I even drank 2 beers! The most important item on the agenda though, was swimming! I jumped into my suit faster than you could say "Hey, Cat, wanna go swim....?" I have realized that I am my happiest either in or near the water. The water was so buoyant, I could just lay on my back and it suspended me in bliss. As I walked out of the water for the first time that trip I thought to myself, "If you want to see me happy, this is it." No schedule, no agenda, and no one else to worry about. Loverly!

Aside from a minor moisturizer explosion in my bag (thank heaven for plastic baggies!) and a bikini rash from the Mongolian razor, life was good. Plus, the sun had started to peek it's way through the clouds. I though that maybe I was the whitest woman there after my Mongolian winter, but I sure was the happiest!

I did manage to get the beginnings of a burn that day, even though I spent no time in the sun and wore 30 sunblock. I wasn't going to let what happened in the Domincan happen there!

As I lounged on my balcony that day, I called Nookie to get my week in order. She came by and we planned many outings. There were some people down below me who had a guitar. I made my way down and asked to play them a song. They all clapped when I began to sang and took my photo. I also learned that the Thai word for cat is mao! How cool is that?

Day 2

I slept so well that night, it was unbelievable to me. Considering on the way in I was dreaming about school, my dreams were few and unmemorable. Just floating on the crisp white sheets in the cool of the fan.

I got picked up and headed out for my big day. First was the elephant riding. I have to admit I got a bit shaky when I first saw them, they were just so big! On the ride you could see the rubber trees being tapped. After this we had a brief stop at the Chinese inspired temple. We lit 14 sticks of incense and I gave thanks for my amazing trip. Next on the agenda, kayaking. The trees were those kinds with large roots that were half in, half out of the water awaiting the rainy season. There were tiny crabs scuttling around the base of each near the water. We stopped at a shoal and I swam, cutting my feet on the sharp pieces of shells around. I quickly put my flip flops on and cooled off. Being the only one alone, the guide operator, an amazingly beautiful Thai woman, was my partner. She took this photo for me. I quickly became confident to approach just about anyone and ask them to take my picture.

Once we returned from the kayaking, we had the most amazing lunch. Spicy seafood soup and this garlic grilled sea bass. It came with rice and veggies. We hung about for a bit afterward and watched the local fishermen with their nets. What patience they must have!

Even after this, we still went for a swim in the local waterfall. It was the only one worth seeing at the time apparently due to the end of the dry season. It was still beautiful. While the water was cooler, it was fresh and refreshing! The pool was so deep in the centre people could climb the rock ledges and just dive in.

I went back to my room and sat on my little balcony, swam at will, and slept again knowing I had snorkeling to look forward to the following day. Ahhh!

I couldn't sleep, which is a major surprise to me after the last few days, but I'm taking this opportunity to get caught up on some of my correspondence while away.

Today we had an entire school field trip. We visited the 13th Century Mongolian Museum. We stopped briefly at the new monument being built. When it is finished you will be able to travel up inside Chingis' horse, just as a Trojan would perhaps, and see the surrounding countryside. I'm sort of a where's Waldo in this picture, but you can find me!

We continued on and had our lunch. It was good. The kids marvelled at how the light came through the ger top and shone directly on where Chingis would have sat himself. They felt it was a light effect and done on purpose, but I took it as a chance to reinforce some Science. We were driven around to many different sites that day, all just as windy as the next. In the photo below I had the kids say "Windy" instead of "Cheese". But, there were many hands on things for the kids to do and they just loved it. They tried on clothes, pretended to be warriors, saw an eagle and rode on camels and horseback. I would have wished to know the itinerary better before going. I would have appreciated the chance to discuss how to behave around animals like horses. It made me nervous, seeing the kids all vying for a position to be next on the horse or camel, running around them like they couldn't kick and hurt them, yelling and the like. They were mostly from the city and had never had a chance to be around such animals in more than a cursory way. I was just reminded of how my dog, Farley, reacted to being around children. They are unpredictable and loud. I was worried one would get spooked. Everything basically went off without a hitch.

As I had mentioned previously, the kids were so confused that one of the people who worked there said he was Chingis' great grandfather. They believed it literally. I had to explain that if that man was Chingis' great grandfather, that would mean Chingis was still alive and thousands of years old. Then they asked me if it was year 1, then would that mean the dinosaurs would still be there? I think we need to incorporate more history into the curriculum. Science is almost done and they have been swimming in the Greek mythology I have taught them, I think they'd really enjoy some history too. So funny to realize that the year I was born is such a foreign idea to them. 'Things existed before I was born?' you thought. I used to think that too!

I didn't need much coaxing to get into the formal gear! It was fun. We rapped our knuckles on the shields and were in awe at how heavy the armor and (dull) swords were. Great fun!

Back from Thailand. What an amazing trip! There was not one thing I would have wished for or left out. It was a tremendous experience. Unfortunately, I am running on 3 hrs sleep after a 28 hour trip home. We had a big field trip today to the 13th Centruy Museum that lasted until after 6 o'clock. It was very windy, but a very interesting day! So, I'll just leave you with this small taste of the photos and narrative to come. As I was in Thailand for so many days and did many activities, I will span the Thai trip out over a few blogs. Trust me, it's worth it! I rode an elephant, snorkelled, fed raw chicken to crocodiles, and swam with (and got to kiss and be kissed by) the dolphins! There was just so much to each day and each trip. I did keep a journal to record everything. That above is me hugging Nala, the no-nosed, purple-mouthed dolphin. Next is one of the opportunities the kids had to dress up. They had a blast! They were very confused though, because one of the men there said he was Chingis' great grandfather. They missed the point of it being a 13th century museum.

I had a funny thing happen at school. I put in a request for some accordian file folders. Enkhee, bless her soul, tried very hard to understand what I was asking for. A few days later she came to me and said, "Do you play the acordian?" I was confused and said, "No." As it turns out, she thought I wanted two of the instruments! Thank heavens they were not purchased yet, or else I'd have been filing my papers in two very useless but expensive objects.

Tomorrow is the last day before spring break. It has been a long 3rd term and I am more than looking forward to the change of routine. Instead of our ususal Friday, for the second half of the day we will have a class party and then watch a movie. Doogie and I had dinner at Erdenedari's home tonight and she kept repeating how she couldn't wait for tomorrow! Unfortunately, I don't really have anything planned. We will have a class party with snacks for one period, and watch a movie for the final two. Nice and easy way to end this busy week!

So, I'm off to Thailand very early Saturday morning and back very late Sunday night. I will be sure to post my amazing photos when I return and fill everyone in on my trip!