TO: family
DATE: Sep 25, 2004
Here is our general itinerary. Although I've listed dates - they are mostly tentative and not specific.
Don't worry - we'll be fine.
Sep 25: leave PHX @ 7:30pm (stop in LA and Hong Kong)
Sep 27: arrive in Bangkok @ 10:30am
Sep 27-30: Bangkok
Oct 1: Arrive in Chiang Mai (where Mike Glista is)
Oct 1-9: Northern and Central Thailand
Oct 10-17: Ko Chang (island southwest of Bangkok)
Oct 18: Fly from Bangkok to Calcutta (India)
Oct 18-22: Calcutta
Oct 23-26: Darjeeling
Oct 27-Nov 1: Patna, Gaya, Bohdgaya
Nov 2-8: Varnassi
Nov 9-15: Ranchi (SRF Ashram ~ Jeff Church)
Nov 16-21: Orissa
Nov 23: Return Flight from Calcutta to Bangkok
Nov 24 -Dec 9: Thailand Isthmus Beaches (Andaman Coast, Phuket, Krabi)
Dec 10: Flight from Bangkok to Hong Kong
Dec 10-14: Hong Kong
Dec 14: Leave Hong Kong, arrive in Phoenix @ 4:30 pm
P.S. we have given our cell phone to Courtney now - so that is no longer our number.
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TO: family
DATE: Sep 25, 2004
We arrived safely. What a long flight. The flowers are nice, humidity is high, and we are very tired. The culture shock will take some getting used too, but I am sure it will be much easier when we are in smaller towns or at the beach.
I am too tired to compose much - we haven't done anything today except purchase our India airfare.
MORE LATER.........for now, no worries!
LOVE,
Becky and Jeff
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TO: family
DATE: Sep 29, 2004
just to prove we are still doing fine - - - and that communication (via e-mail) will be pretty easy and available. The e-mail will be much more frequent than phone calls because it is cheap - and especially because the phones are much harder to figure out.
Tomorrow we leave Bangkok for the north, Chiang Mai (Where Mike Glista is). We'll send a mass e-mal out next week when I have more time to write and some good stories. tomorrow we are going to TRY to go to the Thai Open (tennis) - that happens to be in BKK this week. Perhaps we'll see Roddick and Federer and?????????????
Have a good weekend!
Love, Becky and Jeff
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TO: family
DATE: Oct 3, 2004
we are in northern thailand this week. tomorrow we are going on a 3 day 2 night trek to a national park (Doi Ithalon) that has the highest mtn in the country. We will also be visiting some hill tribes, going rafting on bamboo flats, and riding an elephant. Should be fun. When we get back I'll send a report. We have arranged the trek through the "Hollanda Montri House"......... in case you need to know. If you look them up on the WEB - you can see where we are going. do a Google search -or-
all is going well. we are into the swing of travelling now and things are not as frustrating. we see MANY families travelling with small children.... I think that shows it is very safe here. the thai people are very friendly and respectful.
we saw mike glista on friday night. He said he is unsure if marty and sandy will come or not. Mom B - you should encourage them not to miss the opportunity to travel here. But tell them to stay for more than a week so the LONG flight is worthwhile.
we miss you - and send love,
Becky
and Jeff
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TO: Everyone
DATE: Oct 6, 2004
Hello All -
Our first week in Thailand has been great. We started out in Bangkok for 4 days. It is a big, crowded, hot metropolis, ...but was not as unbearable as I imagined. There are many beautiful temples in the old part of the city. We were fortunate to be there during the Thailand Open (tennis). WE got tickets to see some 2nd round play, including Federer (#1 in the world) - Roddick was also at the tournament but did not play while we were there (Federer went on to win).
Since Friday we have been in CHiang Mai (Northern Thailand). Our cousin Mike is here studying at the university - and it was a treat to meet up with him, albeit briefly. The past 3 days we trekked through Doi Inthanon National Park. That was a great experience. We visited a few hill tribes and camped (in bungalows) in their villages. It was so cheap ($12/day) and the guides provided and prepared all our meals. We swam at a few waterfalls, rode elephants, and went rafting on bamboo flats. We were in a small group and met some cool travelers from Canada, Yorkshire, Belgium, Portugal, and LA. The guy from LA was wearing a John Kerry shirt.... you will be proud that Jeff did not say anything to him about it!!!
A highlight in Chiang Mai has been the flower market. We saw so many orchids, and could not pass up a beautiful $3 specimen that would easily be $30+ at home. We hung it in our room and left it for the hotel. None of the wild orchids we saw on the trek were in bloom - but there were thousands in the trees.
Tomorrow I am attending a Thai Cooking class all day (while Jeff does laundry and gets a Thai massage). Thursday night we leave for Ko Chang, an island in the Gulf of Thailand nearer to the Cambodia border. We have heard great things about the snorkeling there and cannot wait to see for ourselves. High tourist season has not started yet so we may have some beaches to ourselves.
Dad told us about Mt St Helen's......... sounds intriguing - I hope Lisa is out of harms way. We must have seen it just in time this summer!
Hope all is well - We'll be in touch before heading to India on the 18th.
Much Love,
Becky and Jeff
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TO: dad Carroll
DATE: Oct 11, 2004
Tell Grandma hello and that we are have safe fun. We went on 4 island snorkel tour today. Becky is abit ill. We think it is temporary. There is a hospital not 2 b;ocks away should you be wondering. Congratulations on the PC ring of Honor we too wish we could be there. Thanks for the updates. Got to run. Love you all. I check our banks and everything is fine.
~Jeff
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TO: Boyans
DATE: Oct 11, 2004
Greetings From Jeff (only):
I am checking our mail while waiting on a pizza after an all day four island snorkeling adventure (for only $12 per person). THanks for the update on India. I am also keeping tabs on the regions we are headed to. I will inquire and register at the US consulate in Calcutta when we arrive on the eighteenth. So far Thailand has been safer, easier and less expensive than anticipated. I will tell Becky of you email. Love always, Jeff
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TO: Uncle Keith
DATE: Oct 11, 2004
2 hour Traditional for $12. I am addicted now. Every few days I get a 1 hour $2 foot massage. Great hearing from you. Regards, Jeff
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TO: everyone
DATE: Oct 14, 2004
This week has been all about the BEACH. We are on Ko Chang Island in the Gulf of Thailand. The first bungalow we stayed at was about 30 feet from the shore (10 feet during high tide). It has a kind of Reggae vibe that seems to be internationally found at beach-type-getaways. After a few days we moved down the coast a bit to a quieter area. Today is our last night and we splurged on a nicer hotel with hot water and A/C so we can recoup from our sun burns in relative comfort before we head back to the mainland.
On Monday we took a snorkel outing that took us to 4 small islands south of this one. The water is beautiful and so warm. The snorkeling was not as crystal clear as some Caribbean locations.... but is was great anyways.
The beach at our bungalow is perfect for swimming. The water has been so calm and surprisingly wave-less the past 2 days. Wednesday I floated around for most of the day (hence the sunburn).
Tomorrow we are heading to Trat, en route to Bangkok. Monday we leave for India.
We miss you all!
Love, Becky and Jeff
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TO: Mom Carroll
DATE: Oct 17, 2004
Thanks for the updates. It is funny you wrote because last night we ran into the silver area (92.5% quality) Seems fairly priced. We will look upon our return. Give a few more details. Want any jewels or and other design requests. We will do our best and also be looking in India. Please have Cork and you write with her American and UK (Birk) shoe sizes. THe fake Birks here are only $5. Yes we both have been sick already. Becky for one day last week, and myself since Thursday. THe runs have almost vanished and my stomach gurgles have almost gone. I spoke with aEnglish speaking Thai pharmasists who was very helpfull. He confirmed the appropriate antibiotics we had already been recommended back home. I opted for electrolite packets and tons of water. It has worked. I wanted to save the meds for when I have a problem that persists. But the meds are very cheap and easily attainable so be sure that I will use them and seek medical attention if needed. Today is Sunday 5p and we fly to Calcutta next Monday at 2p. We will write in few days when things settle back down in our lives. If you send Jim, Arnie and Andi's email we can add them to our list. I am paying for this internet so no spell check, and I LOVE YOU VERY MUCH and AM HAVE A FUN SAVE TIME. Please update Dad.
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TO: Lisa and Melanie
DATE: Oct 17, 2004
Hi Girls -
Our time in Thailand has been smooth. Before the whole trip I was kind of dreading the "work" of traveling in a foreign country......where we were gong to be totally unfamiliar with the language and culture...... But to my happy surprise, Thailand has been much easier than expected and we got into the swing of things right off the bat.
Nonetheless, a few things have been trying..... like in Bangkok - we learned that many of the taxi drivers not only do not SPEAK English - they cannot read English (roman script) ..... because Thai has its own script.... which is more like Arabic squiggles than Chinese characters. Also the tones of the language are very specific so if you do not pronounce your destination correctly - they still do not know where you want to go!
Also they are not too concerned about tripping hazards around here. In America the ADA would be all over them! There are so many uneven walking surfaces - it is kind of funny to compare it with our sidewalks and public spaces. Much to Jeff's dismay - they also have low clearance through a lot of doorways and just walking down the street. He hits his hear HARD a couple times a week.
The shopping here is incredible. There are many temptations - but we are trying to hold off until the end so we do not have to carry a lot. We still have 9 weeks to go!
I have been most surprised by the food - not that I discovered I love it - but the fact that I am already kind of sick of it. I have been craving pizza because they don't really use much bread or cheese around here (unlike Europe travel where you can live off baguettes). Thai food is actually very sweet. They use a ton of sugar in many dishes and always have sugar on the table as a condiment (for the food, not your coffee). It can be very spicy - but they always make a point of toning it down for FARANGS (foreigners). But the cooking class I had was pretty fun and I did learn some techniques to take home. Jeff and I both got a little sick last week - but nothing major yet!!!!
I hope you are having a great autumn. They do not have words for our seasons here. They only have WET, HOT, and COOL....... no summer, spring, winter, fall.
I am having similar apprehension about India (we leave tomorrow for Calcutta). Btu I am guessing my fears will dissolve once we get there and GET GOING.
I miss you! Love, Becky
