Link to a forum on the Bangkok post about the institutionalized process of charging more to outsiders

HERE

Here are some new pics of the Thai themselves. They are a wonderful people. I sound like my grandmother.

J: Today we show my parents the video we shot in Thailand. I’ve sort of held off watching it all - knowing that this day would come. My Dad will remember being there and my Mom will cry and call us brave. Then off to the awesome Glenn’s Diner for steaks and 6oz shrimp.

Someday soon me hopes to get a new machine so I can start posting the GOOD video from the trip here.

M: I was thinking about what parts of Thailand I’ve taken home with me, things that have stayed with me while other things start to fade into the ether.

One thing that’s really stayed with me is a compassion and open mind about the people around me. In Thailand I wanted to smile at every person, to study their face, maybe talk to them a little about what life is about for them. I was open to all travelers, it was so easy to start up a conversation when you know you’re in the same boat. I’ve really tried to bring that compassion home, just because all these humans happen to live in Chicago and speak my language doesn’t mean they aren’t worthy of my compassion and interest. I’ve noticed that I’ve been striking up conversations with strangers more than usual. I like that.

I’ve also been trying to keep my eyes more open here. There are so many things in my own neighborhood that I see and don’t really see on a daily basis. I need to keep myself so open here, ready to see what makes Chicago amazing to other people, to see this city in a fresh and new way. It’s kind of fun to see it that way.

And the one thing I hold on to is gratitude. My goodness am I a lucky girl. For some reason I get to be one of the people who gets to ride my bike on a Sunday afternoon instead of working 8 jobs. I get to be a woman who is an equal of her husbands. I get to go out with the greatest people in the world and drink vodka and 7-Ups and no one can tell me not to. I have food and clean water and a dog. I am somehow able to go to the movies and to laugh truly and honestly at anything I choose.

These are not small things and it is for me to honor them and cherish them and remember them.

J: Just finished a massive upload to lulu.com. Its my 230 page macro study of Bangkok. Certainly if you wanted to buy it that would be GREAT. But honestly I’d be happy if you clicked on the free download and just took a look. Click here to take a look.

Pattaya. Pattaya. Pattaya. The resort town without a real beach. What? Yup. Here’s the Pattaya they show you at the travel agency to get you there.

And then here is the truth about the beach. Its MAYBE 12 feet of actual beach. Room as you can see for only ONE or TWO beach chairs.

What a great place to kill time and your hangover before you go back out to the girly bars.

M:I bet some of our readers - and readers of my personal blog - have wondered if we have any regrets about our trip to Thailand. Now that we’re home and the trip is over and the money is long gone and there are staggeringly empty months ahead, I know some must ask: was it worth it?

And no matter what comes of our lives in the next few months, no matter what fears arise at 6AM, no matter what struggles we will live through while trying to pool money together, there is no part of me that regrets what we did.

This “recession” is about so much more than “money.” This recession is about learning to live with less, learning to live more simply, learning to see the world around you, learning to appreciate what we have, learning to actually see other people, learning to work hard, learning to laugh, learning to be self-reliant, learning to see the beauty through mounds of dirt.

And this is what we learned in Thailand. We learned how to be strong. We saw the art and compassion in a dirty city built in a jungle. We washed our own clothes with our own hands. We saw that even though we may be broke, we are not poor. We lived with what we could carry with us and felt the freedom from cumbersome attachments. We enjoyed each others company so fully that we can bring that home with us to help get us through the really rough days. We saw people unlike ourselves that were so very much like ourselves. We learned that beauty and color and joy and food and love have nothing to do with how many dollars or baht we have.

So now that we’re here and a few thousand dollars that went to United Airlines would be lovely right now, I don’t want that money back for anything in the world. If I could change it now and we could have the money back without the trip, I would spit on that money.

Any regrets? The only one I have is that we didn’t stay a little longer.

Quick little video I shot at the EXIT to the Golden Temple in Bangkok. Honestly the temple is so big and so “the same” everywhere that although amazing its also taxing. You can tell these folks didn’t just get off of Batman the Rollercoaster.

Just added a gallery containing photos of Bangkok and Pattaya after dark. Tried my best to capture the seedy side during the day and at night from a distance. Photography near the hookers is looked down on for some reason….. Anyway take a peak here.

Just uploaded a gallery full of pics from Bangkok’s Golden Temple and Grand Palace. Tweaked the files for color as little as I could to preserve the hazy light of morning. Here’s a link.