And then they were three

It is true after two weeks already we are now just the three Andrews which means that if we meet anyone else on the trip we are going to seem like the biggest losers on the island. Maybe we will all use fake names and see how that goes. I usually pick Oscar when I feel like lying to a girl at a party but maybe now I will go by Jose. Yeah that's good.

We were all a bit saddened today to have our good forth member, Chris, leave today. It was a great two weeks with him and now we are going to have to adjust to only three. Also, playing hearts is pretty much out of the question now. Well while Chris is still at the airport waiting to fly for about 30 hours, we three have just arrived in Ko Phangan. I believe now this is our 7th island on the trip so not too bad. Ko Samui was great fun and we did a lot of things and I suppose if you would like to hear about what we did, you can keep on reading.

We found a nice bungalow joint where we could relax and have free breakfast so that was great. Probably the best day we had was when we took a trip to Angthong National Marine Park. It was a day trip/adventure thing that turned out to be one of the most amazing things any of us have ever done.

The day started off by my loud wake up call at 6:45 am because we were getting picked up at something like 7:15. We thought we would be smart and get up a little early to catch the breakfast at the hotel and then get a second breakfast on the boat. It was like how hobbits eat. However, to our dismay the breakfast place didn't even open. In fact, nothing seemed to be open and when our bus to pick us up was running late we got pretty suspicious. We thought we all had gotten swindled and someone just took our money. Embarrassingly enough though our alarm clock man (ME) had his phone set on Malaysian time which was an hour earlier. So basically I had just woken us up at 5:45 am to sit around and play cards. Everyone was extremely pleased with me.

After a long sickening car ride to the boat we made it to the pier, jumped on the boat and were off. We didn't really know what to expect and considering the fact that our boat appeared to not have any pretty girls on it: we were a little frustrated. But man did we get put to shame. we arrived by cruising past several small, tree covered islands to a completely unspoiled beach. Then we all hopped onto some beat up canoes and went exploring. It was truely amazing because the ground was only about a foot under us and we had just enough clear blue Thai water to see everything below. after going through some caves and seeing several beautiful untouched white sand beaches we stopped for a small hike. We had no idea but after a ten minute climb through trees and rocks we found a secret lake hidden inside of the island. It was about the greatest thing I have ever seen. Mostly everyone has heard of the book/movie the Beach and it just so happened that we were standing ride in front of the secret lagoon that inspired the story. It was incredible, spiritual, and basically just totally kicked ass! (Don't worry, I gots lots and lots of pictures too.) After that we climbed back down and ate a quick but delicious lunch on the boat. Then we were taken to another island and given a million options of things we could do there. It seemed that almost everyone just went to the beach and laid out (because I guess you can't do that anywhere else....duh!) We chose to take another hike up to the island's caves. I figured it would be cool and maybe we could see a bat but nothing like what we eventually found. I mean just to get there we had to climb up with a guide rope attached from tree to tree. When we found the caves it was outrageous. The walls went up at least 100 and more feet with stalactites as long as 25 feet. We were like ants in this commanding cave and it really was humbling to be in something so immensely larger than us. We climbed around and goofed around and basically just had a good time. I think we are pretty good at that. When we climbed back down we were all happy to have gone but sooooooooooooo tired from sweating and climbing. The rest of our day was spent laying on the beach, attempting to snorkle on an unsnorkelable (I know it isn't a real word...whatever) beach, and played volleyball with the park rangers. For some people Thai people really love us, and with that I will quickly give the details of the rest of the night.

We were pretty much all in a state of ecstasy from our fantastic voyage of the day so we decided to have some beers on the boat ride back. We thought everyone would be in accord with us but we were the only ones so we turned it into a party boat. When we got home we showered and drank more beers and then went for some dinner. Our dinner was fresh salmon, shark, prawns and lots of sushi........oh yeah and more beer. From there we went to another bar and had one of those great conversations that really remind you why you wanted to take a trip like this. It was really fun. By then, as you might imagine, we were a bit buzzed and excited. We found our last big bar and went there. The end of the night was spent dancing and partying with the three beautiful Thai girls I met. Drew went and got pizza and more beer which suited him as well. It was a perfect day and night and all because of the good friends who got to enjoy it together. So that was just one day but a day I thought most might enjoy hearing about. I hope you, whoever you are, have enjoyed the tale and keep in touch for more. 14 days down and 15 more to go. Oh yeah!!!!

PS sorry if this is unedited but I only have limited time.

VIP Lounge in Osaka

Yeah that is right, I did not plan on it whatsoever but it seems that I find myself in Osaka, Japan right now drinking as many Saporo beers as I would like while I wait for a flight to Bangkok. As far as shitty layovers are concerned, this is not at all one of them. So far my day has been going great even though I was supposed to be in Bangkok right now. How about I start at the beginning?

First off for those of you who have actually read my first blog, I apologize for not writing more often but I want to change that now. I figure since I have four hours till my flight and a free bar at my finger tips, i should relax and tell you how things are going. (By the way, bars are not like ice cream. I mean you want to sample everything and with ice cream it is ok but drinks might get you in trouble. I honestly don't know what these people were thinking in putting a guy like me in a swank ass place like this.) 

So the day started out really well. I made all my trains with no problem and I said my goodbyes to Paris the city and all my friends I had met in Paris. It really was a great experience and I will never forget it. I made it all the way to Helsinki with everything going well. Then the trouble started.... they didn't have a seat for me on the Bangkok flight. For a second I really freaked out because our plans for Bangkok pretty much consisted of "go to the airport and we will see each other." While several folks were complaining about this and that a lady said, "well you could go to Osaka and then we could figure it out," to which I politely responded, "fuck it, I'll go to Osaka." So a quick email to let the guys know what had happened in the hopes that they might find internet and I was off. I mean literally I went one gate over, got on and we pulled out. I really didn't even have time to think about it and when you don't have time to think you don't have time to freak out. 

It was a rather leisurely flight to a completely incorrect destination, however, I was entertained by piece of shit movie after piece of shit movie and glass of free wine after glass of free wine.  I can honestly say that I really was never worried. I knew that my friends were intelligent and had most likely found each other and I was really only going to be about 12 hours late. Not bad.

So the flight lands and the mix of the half drunk feeling from the South African wine and the deliriousness of several 15 minute naps dispersed over a period of i think 9 or 10 hours makes me feel a little jolly.......or crazy.  Suddenly as we land I hear, "Wirr passenger Andrew Putt prease speak to a fright attendant before descending da prane?" Wow I had officially made it to Japan and someone already wanted a piece of me. So to my surprise I walk out of the prane as they carr it and was met by a lovely Japanese girl holding a sign with my name on it. I felt like a star! She indicated to me that everything was in order and since I had had such a rough ordeal the airline had invited me to rest at the VIP airport lounge. Now perhaps you have been to the Detroit lounge or the Phoenix armadillo club where you are promised a fresca and a can of beans, but the Japanese have got it all right. (yes I will have another beer.) I mean we are talking beer, bar, wine, saki (which I hate but will soon drink), pastries and even a toilet that talks to you and heats up your butt. 

So after being brought around and everyone helping me (one girl even held my coke while I looked for my passport) I am enjoying myself in probably the nicest place I will ever visit. Not only that but I have communicated with the boys and all is set in Bangkok. Oh and not only that but since my plans got so screwed up, Finnair decided to write me a fat 'ole check for $1000 bucks for my problems. Wow! Little did they know that that money just saved my life as I was planning on moving to Taipei with about $80 on my person. 

I have a feeling that life is going to be alright and that this vacation is going to kick way too much ass. I hope that hearing about this day was as entertaining for you as it has been for me. So far I have been up for about 24 hours, drunk twice, been in three countries, two continents, and will most likely be awake for another 18 or so hours. But dat's how I rock. Stay tuned cause I will keep the blog a flowin'.

The Eyes of the Children shall Change

Ahhhh! Paris est une très belle ville, mais pas comme Maule!

If you can believe it, this person has been responsible for eight classes of little French children for the past nine months. No really I'm serious. A lot of people like to say that you grow up a lot while in college and this picture exemplifies how I chose to "grow up" and "mature" during my university experience. However, after this past French experience I really can say that some changes have gone on.

My desire to start this blog was for many reasons. Well, in fact just three. First, I felt that since my cousin had done something similar for her friends at home I might entertain my friends as well. However, her "blog" told the tale of her adventure through different parts of France as a French teacher seeking the meaning of la vie des jeunes enfants français. It was also geared towards her little 3rd grade French students which means most of the comments I made throughout the trip would be edited out. The second reason for deciding to write a blog was because my mom told me I should do it so all her nurse mates could read what I was doing on my travels and pray that their children never did the same. The third reason is for all my friends who I still love even though they think I will never be coming back to America.

So to open things up I have spent nine months living in Maule, France living through some of the most weird, emotionally exhausting, boring, lame, cool, life affirming, stupid, embarrassing, and fun experiences in my whole life. And you pretty much won't hear about many of those times on this "blog" creation. Sorry, but if I spent my time recording all the past moments it would make it pretty hard to live any new ones. But rest assured as long as the desire for girls, money, and booze prevail in my heart, there will be great stories for you, the viewer (all one of you).

Oh yeah I guess I should give you a reason to want to read the next "blog" that I make in a day or a week. Well in about two weeks I will be flying from Paris, France to Helsinki, Finland and then to Bangkok, Thailand. The trip to Thailand will be a month long backpacking excursion with three of my best doofus friends. I believe that we will certainly encounter some fantastic stories and pictures on our exploration of Thai beaches and islands and bars. After that month I will then fly to Taipei, Taiwan to become once again an English teacher and therefore seem even cooler to American girls when I return. Whenever that may be. So stay tuned and I assure you I will not dissapoint. And if I do......screw you! Go do something else!