Rules of the Road

So while I am in Thailand my form of transportation will be by scooter.  For you back home you may be laughing at the image of me riding such.  I haven't gotten a picture of me riding one yet to know just how dorky I look, but I feel pretty badass doing so.
The rules for driving down here are pretty simple:
1.  Only the driver must wear a seatt belt
2.  Only the driver must wear a helmet (scooter)
3.  Drive on the left side of the road (opposite from home)
4.  If you run someone over back up and run them over again to make sure they are dead.  It's way cheaper that way.  This is usually just a joke but it does happen.

Taiten, Bow, and me riding in the back of the truck

You are allowed to ride in the back of trucks, allowed to pass whenever you want, and there really isn't any followed speed limit.  If you ever get pulled over, most times you are able to get out of a ticket by being pleasant and slipping the officer a bit of money.

Aint No Rest for the Wicked

Alaska

From Vancouver to Hong Kong I had a painful twelve hour flight, which included no sleep.  Thank goodness for individual TV screens and built in plug ins.  We had clear skies whilel flying over Alaska which was absolutely beautiful!
I had a three hour lay over in Hong Kong which I spent running from one wrong terminal to the next.  I was first told I would be departing out of terminal 4 but about fifteen minutes later I was informed that I would be taking off out of terminal 521.  As I was going to board my boarding pass was rejected.  They then informed me that I needed to go to gate 44.
The flight from Hong Kong to Bangkok was two and a half hours.  I slept a bit during this flight.  When I got into Bangkok airport I met up with Mike, Mon, and Taiten.  During the four hour drive back to Kamphaeng Phet I finally got a decent amount of sleep.  When we arrived at the house I got shown to my room and had a quick tour of the place before going to bed, which I so desperately needed.

Departure Date Approaching

Only four days left until I go on the adventure of a life time.  For those of you who do not know why I am going to Thailand I have graciously been given the opportunity to travel to teach English.  I will be gone for four months (unless I choose to stay longer).  I will be leaving on Dec 28 from Vancouver airport at 13:35 and will have a 3 hour layover in Hong Kong.  I will arrive in Bangkok at 00:20 on Dec the 30 after a 15 hour time difference.  I will be living in a town called Kamphaeng Phet which has a population of approximately 30,114 people.  To put this number into prospective, thats three times the number of people that live within the city limits of Williams Lake.  Like many of you I know little to nothing about Thailand, but have learned a few things while reading through my guide book, and will continue to learn during my stay.  One interesting fact I learned was that Thais regard the head as the most sacred part of the body while the feet are considered vulgar.  You should never show the soles of your feet or use them to point at anything.
Sharyse