So we left Japan and flew to Bangkok. We only stayed two days in Bangkok at the Atlanta Hotel, where they have the slogan "at the prices you pay, we don't accept complaints." Although the slogan should more accurately be "at the prices you pay, we don't lift a finger for you." Unfortunately, we didn't see or do much in Bangkok, except rest and buy a cell phone. We soon flew from Bangkok to Krabi, using Air Asia, which is the budget carrier in these parts. So after a year of looking at Krabi on a map and in a guidebook, we finally are there in person, not really sure what to expect. While we are headed to Krabi town, we aren't too sure why everyone else from our flight is going to Ao Nang and surrounding areas not too far off. We soon realize why- Krabi town is not on the beach. Krabi town is 20 minutes away from the beach, and is situated on a river.

Krabi area is on the western part of the southern Thai peninsula that faces the Andaman Sea. It is very close to idyllic islands like Phuket, Koh Phi Phi, Koh Lanta, and many others. The entire area is characterized by white sand beaches, clear blue-green water, and huge limestone rocks and formations that are found everywhere. So our time in Krabi is not exactly paradise for a few reasons; we are here to prepare our lesson plans for work, prepare our visa, and deal with our Thai "manager," Chokchai. Chokchai landed us a job teaching English to the staff at Zaevola, a five-star resort on Koh Phi Phi Island. The only problem is that we have to deal with Chokchai in order to get our work visa and finish our lesson plans. He is unorganized, forgetful, and extremely confusing. His English skills are lacking and when he says one thing, you're never quite sure what he really means. This tends to not only be frustrating but often a waste of time. He has good intentions but does not have the skills to make it happen. He actually looks and talks like a Thai version of Dave Chappelle, so he's kind of funny at times.

So besides dealing with Chokchai, the weather is also making this short stay in Krabi town challenging. There is little escape from the heat because we have no air conditioning in our 200 baht per night room (about 6 bucks a night), and we can't go swimming. Given what I've said about Krabi town, it also has its advantages. The town is not overwhelmed by tourists, or "farang," "Farang" sounds like "falang because the Thai pronounce their r's like l's; fried rice becomes fried lice, and sticky rice becomes sticky lice, or more often sticky lie.

The highlight of our short time in Krabi town is eating out at the local night markets. The night markets offer cheap local food, as well as a glimpse into the life of Thai people in this area. In Thai culture, families do not go to restaurants to eat, but instead eat at the local markets. The markets offer local fruits, pre-made dishes, fried rice, fried noodles, noodle soup, satay, whole fried fish, strange seafood, and many other unusual foods. You can buy a dish for about 30 baht, or less than a dollar.

The Thai country and culture is very different than that of the Japanese where we just came from. The Japanese are pushing to make their country a leader in world technologies, where the Thai seem happy with the few western things they have adopted, like air-polluting scooters and trucks. The Thai people are extremely happy with the simple things they have, and make family and friends the fundamentals of what life revolves around. This makes Thai life a bit more casual compared to the ritualistic life of the Japanese.

Oh yeah, we went to Penang, Malaysia for few days to get an extended visa so that we could work in Thailand. Penang is both a small island and a tourist destination near the Thai-Malaysian border. We drove all through the southern Thai peninsula, which is predominantly Muslim, in a bus in order to get cross the border and get to Penang. There are actually many things to do on Penang, but not when it rains the entire time. Unfortunately it rained from the time we arrived until the time we left, and we did not see a thing. We did, however, eat lots of Chinese street food and some Indian food. Malaysia has a large Chinese population, Indian population, and has many other ethnic minorities. The Indians in Malaysia are Muslim and they probably left India in hopes of becoming part of a Muslim society. Little did they know that the Buddhist Chinese would make up 60% of Malaysia's population. You sometimes wonder where the Malaysian people are. So next time we will find some and see the other things Malaysia has to see (we will have to go back to renew our visa in a few months).