Thailand - Rayong, etc.

Don't feel too much like blogging, oddly enough. But in a nutshell,

• I had a nice uneventful flight(s) to Thailand on Wednesday.
• My friend Ashley got my arrival day mixed up, and fortunately I had her number so was able to roust her from her bed to come pick me up.
• It took 2 days to get over the jet lag. Those 2 days really sucked, because I would start to get tired at noon (9 p.m. PST), and get progressively worse until I fell into bed at 8 p.m., then wake up at 5:00 a.m. Yesterday I finally made it through the day without feeling tired. Yay!
• I arrived in Chiang Mai today after 3 days with Ashley and her adorable daughters, and I'm travelling to Mae Hong Son tomorrow. From there to Pai, from Pai back to Chiang Mai, where I will stay for a couple days till I fly to Phuket on the 14th.
• Valentine's Day can suck itself.
• Thai food is so amazing. I may never eat Thai food in the states again, because it doesn't compare to this. After a couple painful and embarrassing episodes, Ash taught me a useful phrase: "Mai phet!" which means "not hot!" I have used it many times since then with great success.
• I got a cell phone for $15. All cells in Thailand are prepaid, and I thought it was a good idea for emergencies. Of course it's also helpful for calling the folks back home, also very cheap.
• There are internet cafes and laundry places on every corner. Both are cheap. When I finish up at this internet cafe, I am going to sleep at my guest house and picking up my laundry in the morning.

I don't even want to attempt to add pictures to this post - who knows how long it'll take. So here you go: Pictures here. Sawatee kha.