It's fall break!
After a day in Bangkok we drove south in a hired minivan to catch the last ferry of the day to the island of Koh Maak, just south of Trat province and the larger Koh Chang island. As we moved in our things, Christoph and I sat on the balcony overlooking the tropical scenery to take in the view. All of a sudden a very loud, continuous, high-pitched whine sounding very much like an electric saw cut through the air. At first we thought it was a saw. But it continued, on and on. I became suspicious. Figuring that Christoph was the more adventurous one, I told him to go check it out. He smirked, recognizing my laziness for what it was, and dutifully went down the steps and through the trees. The noise stopped. Coming back up the stairs he announced, "It's just a bug." I've lived in Florida and spent time in other southernly climates but I have never heard a bug sound like this. I thought, "We've come all this way for peace and quiet and have to listen to THIS all week?" It went on for about another 15 minutes and stopped again, this time for good. We did not hear it again until the next evening at about 5:00, when the saw bug started its whine again, razing the air for about half an hour before quieting. Whatever bug this is (and we've never been able to find it) has quite a job. For about 30-45 minutes every evening, almost like clockwork, it whines (actually "shriek" is a better description) loud and long. Then it is done. It seems to be about the loudest sound we've heard here, on an island that is otherwise quite peaceful, except for the other chirping insects and chattering birds which we expected to hear on a tropical island. We did hear the most spectacular thunderstorm ever several nights ago. Marty and I literally clutched each other in alarm as lightning cracked around us.
It's nice to have nothing more to think about than the sounds the bugs make or the lizards running into our room.
Our travels so far have been rather smooth, but coordinating the details for the Global Semester program has kept us on our toes. It has taken a degree of focus and attention to detail that has challenged both Marty and I. In the early days of the trip I wondered why we would need a fall break in Thailand. It seemed a little "over the top", especially since there are so many wonderful places already on the itinerary. Now I know. Having the opportunity to spend time away from students (and them from us), has given us a chance to view the first months of our trip with some perspective and set course for the remainder of the term. We have been able to catch our breath and think more carefully about the coming months. Also, we are so grateful to have some family time with Christoph and Julia.
Yesterday we went snorkeling. As we rode the boat over the whitecaps to the snorkeling site, I calmly prepared the kids for the fact that I may not "be up for" this adventure. Frankly I have enough of my mother in me that I was pretty sure the boat would be my haven for the afternoon. However, when we pulled into the cove and I saw the waves diminish and all the others jump into the water, I realized that if I didn't at least try it, I would be disappointed in myself. I got outfitted with fins, mask and snorkel and awkwardly climbed down the ladder. I lowered my face into the water and a whole new world opened up. I didn't get back out of the water for an hour, and then only so we could move on to the next site. (Actually, I did get out briefly to grab a lifejacket, which helped me worry less about tiring out in the water.) I was amazed at the variety of fish, coral, and other wildlife that I, with my limited skill, could see right in front of me! It was like swimming in an ocean-sized version of the MN Zoo aquarium. I have to say it is one of the most amazing things I've ever seen in my life. I wanted to compose a psalm of the sea. I may yet, but when we got out of the water at the end of the day we were all so tired and sunburned I could hardly to anything besides shower, eat supper, and go to bed.
On another note, you may see that we (FINALLY) posted some pics to this site. We do plan to post more to flickr and give the link so you can see Marty's amazing photo journal of our trip. As I may have mentioned, the work of leading and coordinating the trip has not left as much time as we thought we would have for managing a blog. Keeping up with homeschooling for Christoph and Julia has also been a large part of our schedule.
Thursday we go back to Bangkok and Friday we fly to Hong Kong. Our long summer will come to an end and we will finally start to see some cooler temps. For the next two days we plan to soak up the sun and tropical breezes, taking in as much as we can to carry with us as we start moving north. We will be remembering all of our dear friends and family as we near Thanksgiving. Travel around the world reminds us how much we have to be grateful for in our family, our friends, our town, and in our country.
The next entries will be posted by Christoph. Keep your eyes open for his entries in the coming weeks.
After a day in Bangkok we drove south in a hired minivan to catch the last ferry of the day to the island of Koh Maak, just south of Trat province and the larger Koh Chang island. As we moved in our things, Christoph and I sat on the balcony overlooking the tropical scenery to take in the view. All of a sudden a very loud, continuous, high-pitched whine sounding very much like an electric saw cut through the air. At first we thought it was a saw. But it continued, on and on. I became suspicious. Figuring that Christoph was the more adventurous one, I told him to go check it out. He smirked, recognizing my laziness for what it was, and dutifully went down the steps and through the trees. The noise stopped. Coming back up the stairs he announced, "It's just a bug." I've lived in Florida and spent time in other southernly climates but I have never heard a bug sound like this. I thought, "We've come all this way for peace and quiet and have to listen to THIS all week?" It went on for about another 15 minutes and stopped again, this time for good. We did not hear it again until the next evening at about 5:00, when the saw bug started its whine again, razing the air for about half an hour before quieting. Whatever bug this is (and we've never been able to find it) has quite a job. For about 30-45 minutes every evening, almost like clockwork, it whines (actually "shriek" is a better description) loud and long. Then it is done. It seems to be about the loudest sound we've heard here, on an island that is otherwise quite peaceful, except for the other chirping insects and chattering birds which we expected to hear on a tropical island. We did hear the most spectacular thunderstorm ever several nights ago. Marty and I literally clutched each other in alarm as lightning cracked around us.
It's nice to have nothing more to think about than the sounds the bugs make or the lizards running into our room.
Our travels so far have been rather smooth, but coordinating the details for the Global Semester program has kept us on our toes. It has taken a degree of focus and attention to detail that has challenged both Marty and I. In the early days of the trip I wondered why we would need a fall break in Thailand. It seemed a little "over the top", especially since there are so many wonderful places already on the itinerary. Now I know. Having the opportunity to spend time away from students (and them from us), has given us a chance to view the first months of our trip with some perspective and set course for the remainder of the term. We have been able to catch our breath and think more carefully about the coming months. Also, we are so grateful to have some family time with Christoph and Julia.
Yesterday we went snorkeling. As we rode the boat over the whitecaps to the snorkeling site, I calmly prepared the kids for the fact that I may not "be up for" this adventure. Frankly I have enough of my mother in me that I was pretty sure the boat would be my haven for the afternoon. However, when we pulled into the cove and I saw the waves diminish and all the others jump into the water, I realized that if I didn't at least try it, I would be disappointed in myself. I got outfitted with fins, mask and snorkel and awkwardly climbed down the ladder. I lowered my face into the water and a whole new world opened up. I didn't get back out of the water for an hour, and then only so we could move on to the next site. (Actually, I did get out briefly to grab a lifejacket, which helped me worry less about tiring out in the water.) I was amazed at the variety of fish, coral, and other wildlife that I, with my limited skill, could see right in front of me! It was like swimming in an ocean-sized version of the MN Zoo aquarium. I have to say it is one of the most amazing things I've ever seen in my life. I wanted to compose a psalm of the sea. I may yet, but when we got out of the water at the end of the day we were all so tired and sunburned I could hardly to anything besides shower, eat supper, and go to bed.
On another note, you may see that we (FINALLY) posted some pics to this site. We do plan to post more to flickr and give the link so you can see Marty's amazing photo journal of our trip. As I may have mentioned, the work of leading and coordinating the trip has not left as much time as we thought we would have for managing a blog. Keeping up with homeschooling for Christoph and Julia has also been a large part of our schedule.
Thursday we go back to Bangkok and Friday we fly to Hong Kong. Our long summer will come to an end and we will finally start to see some cooler temps. For the next two days we plan to soak up the sun and tropical breezes, taking in as much as we can to carry with us as we start moving north. We will be remembering all of our dear friends and family as we near Thanksgiving. Travel around the world reminds us how much we have to be grateful for in our family, our friends, our town, and in our country.
The next entries will be posted by Christoph. Keep your eyes open for his entries in the coming weeks.
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