Ton Sai

So I don't have too many more photos to post cause I've been in Ton Sai for the better part of the last 2 1/2 months!! I love the climbing and the relaxing atmosphere of the small community of climbers here! But I must leave next week my 2 month visa runs out... :(

It's so sad to be leaving the place that has changed my outlook on life! Its hard to explain how relaxed and happy I've become about life. I feel I can stop worrying about all the selfish things I should be doing to improve my life and to think how i can get a good job and blah blah blah. I just want to relax and teach English or find a volunteer job in SE Asia. I just hope everyone can understand me that at this point in my life I have the ability to live simple and help others more effectively than maybe later in my life!

So I found a teaching job in China that doesn't require the TEFL (teach English as a foreign language) course and it pays slightly more than is needed to live. Unfortunately I cannot extend my flight until the teaching job is over. So I feel comfortable to forfeit my ticket home and take the chances on teaching. I don't worry too much about it because once I have the experience of teaching its as good as taking the course and I can teach anywhere in SE Asia. I've thought a lot about it and it is my decision. Plus I'm not even sure that if I come home at this point that I could find a temp job good enough to save up the money needed to get back here to Asia... So this is my thinking and I hope everyone can understand me :)

lots of love, Shana

Stanton and Dad made it to Thailand!!

Finally!! Stanton arrived a week earlier than Dad and so that he could get his scuba diving certification. First he flew into Krabi and we rented motorbikes to go to some nearby waterfalls. In Krabi Stanton finds his first take away drink in Thailand, in plastic bags. I guess that has become a norm for me.








Then in Ton Sai we did a little rock climbing and a lot of showing him around the area.











He took his 3 day certification course and really enjoyed his dive instructors. Then the last day in Ton Sai before we went to Phuket to pick up Dad we rented a Kayak to go around the limestone cliffs of the peninsula.










Then in Phuket we picked up Dad no problem at the airport and stayed in Phuket for the night before heading north to find some diving in Khao Lak. in Khao Lak my Thai friend, Poo, met us and basically took care of us for the entire time we were there, taking us to dinner, driving us to a from our resort, trying to get Dad happy.
The first resort we stayed, Banana Bungalows, was really nice with a pool and nice bungalows. And someone had a pet monkey Stanton was playing with!! (Pic)



One of the huge dinners that Poo arranged for us on the beach in Koh Kho Khao, included too much crab to eat, whole fish, rice, and too much beer for Dad, lol :)




Pic left: Poo means crab in Thai!





Dec. 26 was the 4 year anniversary of the Tsunami, so there was a memorial going on in town where (I think) thousands of people came to remember the terrible devastation on the town of Khao Lak and all the people that died. Everyone lit these paper lanterns that flew into the air, so there was a continuous stream of these lanterns in the sky that you could see from miles away. The money from the lanterns went to the families of the victims and to help still rebuild Khao Lak

Pic left: Dad lights a lantern.



Sunset from another small dinner on Ban Sak Beach. Before we were off to another seafood fest at one of Poo's friends resorts on Koh Kho Khao. We also stayed there one night. The next day Nun, his resort, took us out on the water in his longtail boat, where we saw a dolphin!

After leaving Khao Lak we went to Krabi where Stanton wanted to show dad some of the things there. We went to the Tiger temple where you walk up 1237 steps to the top of the mountain fro a great view over Krabi!

Pic: All three of us on the motorbikes in Krabi.

At the top of Wat Tham Suea.