kim rambling

Sometimes I don’t know whether to use the toilet or decorate for prom! hee

Some people have said they didn’t hear back from me when they commented. I try to respond to most- I think they get attached to the post the original message was put on. Rest assured, I’m much better with this blog than I am with communicating on the phone!

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~We went to the hospital in koh lanta to get Em’s second round of rabies shots. It was trippy. The nurses wear uniforms that were worn in the US in the 1950’s, complete with the little cardboard looking headpieces. We got there early and were asked to fill out some paperwork (no computer system available.) We filled out the papers, then someone asked if it was a monkey bite or a dog. A monkey bite would have made for a better story, but the truth is- it was a dog. The nurse told us to go to window #8 to buy the medication. We went to #8, showed the woman a paper and she told us to go the the window labeled with an ‘H.’ We had to pay in cash at H, head back to #8 to get the medication, then go show the nurse we were ready for the shots. Em got the shots (I had her answer random questions to keep her mind off the discomfort- didn’t work so well.) After she was done, we were sitting there waiting for the nurse to put band aids on. She said “Bye, bye. You done.” That was that. We go out to the car (that we rented for the day to drive to a waterfall) and the car was dead. So, Jesse hopped in a car of some random guy who was in the parking lot waiting for a patient in the hospital. They drove to an auto shop and about ten random houses looking for jumper cables with no luck. When you rent something or get a hotel room in a lot of these places, they keep your passport as a form of collateral. We couldn’t get in touch with the car guy! We were stranded at the hospital, needed to get the passport and catch a minivan leaving in a couple hours. Long story, longer – we hopped in the back of a guy’s taxi pickup truck (kids had a blast) and went to track down the guy who rented us the car. All’s well that ends well. We got the passport back and made the minivan departure time to head to Trang. Whew! Lennon and I even got a nap in.
~I wish this blog had a way to transmit scents. Some of the smells we have encountered have been unearthly. We went to a restaurant today in Bangkok that actually had a ‘no farting’ sign on the front door. Apparently, it must be a problem in small, hot, crowded places. Yikes. I have attached the photo. (There are other things they don’t want you bringing into or doing while you are in the restaurant. Love it.)
~A few days ago we returned to our room after a long, hot day of exploring- Lennon went under the bed to hide from Maddux. Maddux comes in and says he saw something run across the floor. Lennon thinks that Maddux is trying to trick him into coming out of his hiding spot. A few seconds later- Lennon leaps out and yells “what was that?!” A two inch long cockroach runs by me heading toward the bathroom. I jump on a bench while the kids grab the ipad to take a video. Jesse grabs a little garbage can to cover it. We were laughing and jumping around. Ah! The adrenaline rush a little creature can provide!

I’m not sure how the comment replies work. I try to respond to all the comments people post. I don’t know if the comments get posted to the post that you originally commented on or if it gets sent to your email. Anyhoo (kim s, I used that word just for you) please look around on older posts if you haven’t heard back from me. A comment might be hidden somewhere. 🙂 I’m so happy our friends and family are checking in with us. It’s kind of like you guys are on our adventure with us without us actually traveling together and getting on each other’s last nerve. I’m kidding! The Internet really does make the world seem like a smaller place. Love!

~We have learned that hospitals don’t have band-aids, hotels don’t have pillows and bathrooms don’t have toilet paper.
~We went to a place for dinner the other night and sat at a table on the floor. We had pillows and could lay down. They were showing the movie The Dictator with the guy who was in Bruno and Borat. It’s pretty funny. There were some anti-American jokes in the movie and I noticed some of the people around us looking for our reaction. It’s funny how you can glance at a person and take a pretty good guess at where they’re from. What gives it away for us? Jesse’s American flag speedo? My nails painted red, white and blue? Just kiddin! I am quite patriotic but not stupid. You must be safe while in foreign countries because some people might have strong opinions (not about you personally, but about the country you’re from.) I find, most of the time, if you treat people well, they will do the same.
~On some menus, they will have guacamole listed or California rolls -but no one seems to know what an avocado is in this part of the world and the guacamole and rolls are never available. Weird.
~I was just talking to someone about how nice all the people were on koh lipe island- then the next day while I was sitting under a tree near a coffee house (innocently using their free wifi) the owner comes out with a big bucket of water and threatens to throw it at me. He said “You! Out!” Geesh. I would have bought a cup of coffee or something if he would have asked me to.
~Some groups of people like to be color coded when doing an activity together. I’ve seen groups walking around together with color coded stickers and a person with the same colored flag leading them in the front (to a boat, a hotel, whatever.) Some people even go so far as to all wear matching tshirts and hats. I, admittedly, do not have the keenest sense of direction- but it seems a bit overkill. That being said, I did like watching them move through the island every now and again and I can guarantee no one from their groups ever get lost so I shouldn’t be making fun!

RANDOM THOUGHTS BY KIM MARSCH 🙂

This might not be exciting to read, but I thought some of it interesting/funny/different and I want to share it and remember it.
~A lot of restaurants serve warm water because it is better for digestion.
~In Hong Kong, if you are angry at someone and want to put a curse on them, you can go to a place under a bridge where old hags (not a nice name) or witches will put a curse on that person for a fee. Wowsers!
~Right before the Hong Kong light show was going to start- our crew was pretty exhausted. I told maddux to look at the building that resembled a huge purple illuminated egg. He said “I don’t care!!!” Alrighty then!
~We’ve met many people who think they know Americans- they say that we all like war/guns, drinking alcohol and beaches. Funny.
~We were all so hungry in the middle of a long bus trip- We stopped at a market for a bathroom break and food stop. I saw these chicken things that looked like little pot pies or something. I ordered 3. Jesse bit into one and said “it’s like there are bits of carpet in it.” Gross! It looked exactly like brown shag carpet and it had no flavor what-so-ever. We bought some Pringles. A much safer choice!
~I wish I could do a commercial for Sea Bands. They are pressure point bracelets that keep you from getting sick on planes, trains, boats, etc. They work like a dream!
~I don’t know how I lived my life before kids with the daily usage of wipies. I could do a commercial for those, too.
~There are some beautiful birds, flowers and insects around these parts. I saw a blue bird that was so magnificent… I thought of Grandma Choody (Antie Yvonne’s mom.) She loves birds!
~Seatbelts – sometimes they’re available, sometimes they’re not.
~We love seeing motorcycles with whole families on them, especially little babies smushed between the mom and dad.
~Some hotels and restaurants know that tourists are frequently looking for places with wi-if service so they put signs up that say they have it. Then you ask for the pass code and they say “no wi-fi here. So sorry.” The people are so nice, it’s hard to be the least bit mad.
I have to put some more pictures on the blog – my times to do it are few and far between and by the end of the day- I am pooped! The huts we’re at now say that they have wi-fi, you just have to find the good spots. Everyone is sleeping right now so I am out by the beach typing away. I just washed a bunch of clothes in the sink and hung them everywhere in our room and outside to dry. Tomorrow we will do some hiking, snorkeling and have a well-deserved day of hanging on the beach. We’ve been on the road a lot!