aloha!
i thought i should update again so all would know that we have recovered from our illnesses in time to spend an amazing time in krabi, thailand.
we stayed at a guesthouse called the laughing gecko, aptly named as that was the sound that lulled us to sleep every night. and probably the reason for the gecko terds on our mosquito nets, hehe.
it was a fantastic little place where we stayed in a bamboo hut with a few other people, mosquito nets for everyone, and a squattie toilet to share.
at the front of the guesthouse was an open lounging area where everyone just hung out or played the instruments lying around. every night the owners cooked a buffet that the backpackers could choose to indulge in (for a fee, of course). it was awesome just sitting around, eating, and chilling out with people from all over the world. the first night we went to a place on the beach for some dancing fun... and fun it was! who knew the bergens could move like that.... bahaha ;)
we went to railey beach, a gorgeous place surrounded by steep rock and cliffs. while there, we made the hike to the lagoon that was suggested to us. the lady at our guesthouse said most tourists didn't do it. when we arrived at the sign, we could see why. the directions were straight up. so, up we went, and around trees, climbing rocks, sliding down ropes and the like. we arrived at the lagoon, which was BEAUTIFUL, water surrounded by caves, vines, and stalactites. i felt like i was in neverland with peter pan.
the climb back up looked a little daunting (read:i thought they'd have to call in the helicopters) but we made it! and i of course felt so hardcore washing the mud, and yes, a wee bit of blood (woo! athletic injury!!) off my body.
the next day we went to ao nang beach and i drove motorbike and only crashed it once, but let's not talk about that. derek was proud of me, i assure you. actually i think he wanted to crawl into a hole but everything turned out all right.
now we're at a place called kanchanaburi, where we've biked around and gone to see the infamous "bridge over the river kwai", a bridge with a tragic history. tomorrow we're off to see waterfalls, and after that, only a few more days in thailand! yikes... i'd better go soak it up!
love you all,
becki

Phuket, pronounced "poo- ket", also contains the word "puke", which is strangely coincidental since that is what we did all day today.
karlene t, karlene k, trevor, and i decided to opt out of the pizza party birthday at the beach that we were going to, in order to stay home and fill our hours with the aforementioned activities.
i prefer the beach.
derek, on the other hand, was perfectly fine and joined kevin and the kids for a fun afternoon. he also refused to get too close to us without pulling his shirt over his nose and mouth (thanks). there was a redeeming factor in that before heading out, he did head across the street to buy us each a sprite. aww...
aside from that, we've had some good times out here. kevin took us to both a thai buddist and chinese buddhist wat (temple) and pointed out some of the differences in their religions. it was very interesting since we have seen a lot of temples, but now we gained a new perspective on what they contained and represented.
we also looked after the kids as the group of held their fellowship time on friday evening. it was entertaining whipping out old games like "sardines" and "heads up, 7-up". i had a good time!
being that we are in phuket, we managed to head to naiharn beach to soak up some rays with a crowd that seemed to have an unreasonable amount of speedos and topless old ladies. soak up the sun we did, though, and all came home crispy and red. everyone's burns have already turned into tans, with the exception of mine, of course which remains pinkish and painful. the sun does not love me. i even burned my armpit.
it appears as though everyone is headed for bed, and ishould probably join them so as not to have a repeat performance of today's activities. prayers would be welcome!
love and blessings to everyone,
becki

here we are in phuket... after taking a ferry then bus from ko samet to bangkok, taxiing to another bus depot, then taking the overnight bus to phuket, we are pretty much bussed right out.
i think that we still have nothing to complain about, however, because since being picked up by rob (missionary friend of my grandparents) and dropped off at fellow missionaries kevin and karlene's, we have been treated like absolute royalty. karlene served us breakfast and let us shower and do laundry (which, i might add, was a little overdue...) and now the rest of the group is sleeping like babies in thier rooms while i write this blog.
i am super excited about this coming week, where we'll be staying with kevin and karlene, trying to be helpful in some of the programs they're involved in, and checking out phuket's famous beaches. it's exciting to stay in one place for more than 2 nights! tonight we're planning to head to the park to join in their new street hockey program. derek, in particular, is pretty amped on this opportunity.
i need to apologise to my mother and others who are disappointed in my lack of photos posted on this blog. i assure you, when i find a place to do it, i will.
this past weekend was one of paradise- or pretty near that- as we spent it lying on the beaches of ko samet island. we rented a bungalow that had a balcony over the water (which we slept on), and spent one evening watching fire dancers and drinking milkshakes, and another dining in a restaurant that derek swears if ou would take any girl there and propose, they would say yes for sure. you had to take a small boat out to the restaurant, where you then sat on the floor with your feet dangling over the ocean. you could see the ocean creatures through the glass table, as you lounged on the mats avaliable there.
pretty much perfection.
anyway, the troops are stirring, maybe now someone will come with me to get food...
so life in thailand continues, love to you all
becki