The Journeyman's Diary

Travel Blog while I Teach English in Suphanburi, Thailand and Beyond. See where I've been here on my google map. var _gaq = _gaq || []; _gaq.push(['_setAccount', 'UA-19659344-1']); _gaq.push(['_trackPageview']); (function() { var ga = document.createElement('script'); ga.type = 'text/javascript'; ga.async = true; ga.src = ('https:' == document.location.protocol ? 'https://ssl' : 'http://www') + '.google-analytics.com/ga.js'; var s = document.getElementsByTagName('script')[0]; s.parentNode.insertBefore(ga, s); })();

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My Next Journey

We (I) choose to go to the moon (West Coast by Motorcycle) in this decade (tomorrow) and do the other things, not because they are easy, but because they are hard, because that goal will serve to organize and measure the best of our energies and skills, because that challenge is one that we are willing to accept, one we are unwilling to postpone, and one which we intend to win, and the others, too.

-JFK

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abcworldnews:

Last night at roughly 8:17pm New Yorkers got a chance to experience “Manhattanhenge”, the semiannual occurrence where the setting sun aligns perfectly with east-west streets.  If you missed it don’t worry though, a second date this year is expected to take place on Monday, July 11 at 8:25 p.m.  

Photo Credit: Anthony Behar/Sipa Press via AP Images

[kari-shma]

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kari-shma:

Over Wolf Island- EXPLORED (by Matt Cornell)

[drainmysoul]

[igot182problems]

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The best holiday in the entire world is Song Kran. It's the Thai New Year. What started as a simple bathing of the elderly and bathing of the Buddha some how transformed into the largest water fight in the entire world. I've never had more childish fun in my life. For 3 straight days all of Thailand, Laos and parts of Cambodia have a water fight. No one is off limits. I was in Chaing Mai at the time, supposedly the best place to celebrate in all of Thailand.

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Two day slow boat on the Mekong River through Laos and back into Thailand. You want culture. You got culture.

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Luang Prabang has beautiful waterfalls too.

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UNESCO World Heritage City? What the hell is that? After Vang Vieng I traveled another 8 heroeing hours in a small van through a country that seemed to be entirely on fire to find out what the buzz was all about. Luang PraBang is AWESOME! It's like someone took a slice out of France and plopped it right down in Laos. It's a quiet town on the banks of the historic Mekong River with culture that bulges at the seams. Take a look.

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After Nong Khai I crossed over into Laos to Vientiene, after a short lunch I made my way 6 hours north to the small town of Vang Vieng. It's difficult for me to describe this place without getting giddy and childish and as you read you'll realize why. Now, imagine a small town on the crystal clear Nam Xong river in the mountains of Laos. It's sunny and gorgeous every day. The entire town in filled with young back backers anywhere from 18 to 30 years old, and as back packers often are, everyone is there to party. From the time you wake up, hungover from the party the night before, until about noon or 2pm you sit on triangle pillows and snack on french baguettes and delicious Laos/ Western food and watch DVD's of "Family Guy." And these restaurants are everywhere, one after the other after the other of backpacker filled, triangle pillow dawned, Family Viewing 'cinemas.' As if that wasn't good enough for a relaxing time, at about 2pm the town evacuates 20 minutes to the north where you 'tube.' Actually no one tubes, really just drink and go on 30 foot high rope swings. So now picture being in the mountains of Laos on a crystal clear river on the most clear, sunny, warm day you can imagine with hundreds if not thousands of young back packers that are there only to have a good time, and there are 8 bars that all serve beers the size of 3 beers in America for $1.50 and BUCKETS of mixed drinks for $4. When the sun sets over the mountain and over the first bar, aptly named "Bar 1," you cross the river to "Bar 2." When the sun sets over that bar you go to bar three or four and dance until you can't dance any more of someone decides it's time to go back into town and party at the bars there. Really it is the most dangerous thing in the world having all these kids getting hammered and jumping into a river from a rope swing 30+ feet into the air, but VIVE LE LAOS! And that's not to say that I didn't see my fair share of injuries, but you get used to those sights after Full Moon Parties and things of the like. For me this place was like paradise. A beach vibe with friendly partiers in the mountains and high things to jump off of into water. PERFECT!

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After three days and about 24 hours of traveling up the North Eastern train line I arrived in Nong Khai where I had arranged to stay at a volunteer center in exchange for lesson plans. I actually ended up developing a system by which they could take in lesson plans and formatted them to fit there teaching strategy with later goals of make a living database where comments can be made on the individual lessons to help teachers in the field more effectively develop their days lesson plan. Oh and we danced and partied and had a blast. I taught a couple lessons on pronunciation and they taught me how to cook. In all an awesome experience and I got stuck there two days longer than I was planning to.

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100% Culture. Only in Thailand.

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This is what the Modern Job Searcher is up Against

So much for personality and ability to communicate verbaly in the workplace.

NO phone calls, please. If you call anyway it will be understood as your unwillingness to either read this job ad to the end, or to follow instructions, both of which are likely to disqualify you from this position :-)

Classic 21st Century Job Searching

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Back in the US

I've been without a computer or solid internet connection for over a month, but I'm almost back in the US so I'll be filling in all my travel details as I write them up.

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In Vang Vieng

Hansel: So I'm rappelling down Mount Vesuvius when suddenly I slip, and I start to fall. Just falling, ahh ahh, I'll never forget the terror. When suddenly I realize "Holy shit, Hansel, haven't you been smoking Peyote for six straight days, and couldn't some of this maybe be in your head?" Derek Zoolander: And? Hansel: And it was. I was totally fine. I've never even been to Mount Vesuvius.

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Things My Mother Taught Me

One thing mom always said was to make sure you always pack at least one warm outfit. Since I've left Suphan it has been unbelievably and unseasonably cold. Good thing I listened to my mom.