Squid on a stick

Squid on a stick, originally uploaded by maujb.

As we wind down our last few hours in Bangkok and finish this latest installment of photos and adventures from our extraordinary lifestyle we remember all the little people who made this possible.

We'd like to thank the Academy . . .

But seriously folks we're returning to the States tomorrow (5/2/06) and starting our next adventure in domesticity. We may post a few entries and pix from Portland as our new life unfolds and the horrors of reverse-culture shock take hold. Stay tuned.

May Announcements:

Happy Birthdays to Don!!! 41st b-day where has the year gone? Seems like we were just celebrating the 40th with whipped cream and sexy young fraulines.

More birthdays wishes to Kurt (happy 40th dude!), Skinney, Mexico (5 de Mayo), Karl Marx and David Beckham!

Congratulations to Trina and Greg on your wedding and have a wonderful honeymoon in Thailand!

Congratulations Troy on your divorce!

Happy May 1st - "Day without a Mexican"
Can't wait to see the Daily Show news reports on this one!

Ang Thong National Marine Park

Ang Thong National Marine Park
Originally uploaded by maujb.

We toured Ang Thong on another snorkel cruise that brought us to this exquisite salt water lake found on an island in the middle of an ocean! Crazy!

We also did some kayaking through caves and snorkeling with more colorful tropical fishies.

Torquoise waters, torquoise toes. Up your nose with a rubber hose.

Torquoise waters, torquoise toes. Up your nose with a rubber hose.
Originally uploaded by maujb.

Operation Ko Samui: anybody talk Thai?

Ko Samui was a continuation of our high-life luxury and relaxation. Funny thing about the blog. The higher the budget the more boring it gets for the readers. But we're still loving it!

Crepuscule in Railay

Crepuscule in Railay
Originally uploaded by maujb.

Enough already!

Who wants the other 1000+ emailed to them?

Actually this is our LAST sunset that we will post, until our next around the world trip. Maybe Madagascar next time? How 'bout it McHale's?

Corn Monkeys of Railay

Corn Monkeys of Railay
Originally uploaded by maujb.

Afternoons at Railay a multigenerational family of 30 monkeys decend on the tourists and garbage cans and put on a spectacular acrobatics show. Their favorite snack is corn on the cob.

What's your favorite snack?

Lovely evening light at Railay

Lovely evening light at Railay
Originally uploaded by maujb.

Its time for some serious luxury. We opened up the purse strings for our last two weeks and lived large in this paradise of limestone, sunsets, caves, and cocktails. We even had a luxurious swimming pool right on the beach under the towering cliffs. Booyah!

This was easily Mau's favorite beach ever!

Cave of the Sacred Phallus, Railay

Cave of the Sacred Phalus, Railay
Originally uploaded by maujb.

But really, what phallus isn't sacred?

The geography of Railay is full of white sand beaches, blue warm waters and towering limestone cliffs complete with caves. Its a rock climber's wet dream.

Right Renee?

Nope I don't have a tan yet- LEAVE ME ALONE!

Nope I don't have a tan yet- LEAVE ME ALONE!
Originally uploaded by maujb.

Another Phi Phi Le shot while we were on our snorkel cruise. Tons of amazing karst formations, crystal clear blue warm water full of colorful tropical fishies.

Fishie fishy fish such as Nemos (clown fish), angel fish, leopard fish, parrot fish, bbq fish, deep-fried fish, curry fish, broiled fish, steamed fish, pop-corn fish, fish-on-a-stick, and some beautiful coral too.

Maya Bay, Phi Phi Le

Maya Bay, Phi Phi Le
Originally uploaded by maujb.

Did anyone see that blockbuster hit, The Bitch? oops I mean The Beach? Well, this is where they filmed part of the movie.

We didn't see the movie either even though it was playing every night and sometimes twice a night in several restaraunts on Phi Phi. Its a very popular movie its just that we couldn't peel ourselves away from the sunsets and the cow-frogs. Its a renter.

The legendary quintessential sunsets of Phi Phi

At this point we only had two weeks of our extraordinary lifestyle left. We spent every night enjoying the sunsets. We have over 1000 photos of sunsets on our memory card now! And we'll be happy to mail them out to everybody upon request.

After the sunset each night we watched the summer storm roll in with extreme lightening and thunder and pounding rain for an hour or so. Just enough time to savor a cocktail with lightening and enjoy the cooling breezes after another mid 90's day.

Phi Phi is also home to the cow-frogs, tiny frogs that are invisible to the naked-eye butt sound like huge bovine fog horns. This is also the season of the bumble-mosquito. These bird-sized mosquitos come out at dusk and suck 1/2 pint of blood at a time. The best defense is a high blood-alcohol level.

We are hyphen-happy!

The gang's together again!

The gang's together again
Originally uploaded by maujb.

Hey guess who we ran into? Prue and Damien! It was great to see our Aussie friends and share a couple beers and sunsets together.

Damien has returned to Mae Sot to continue working at the clinic and Prue is off to the UK to continue her modeling career.

We miss you guys!!!

Look-out Point, Ko Phi Phi

Look-out Point, Ko Phi Phi
Originally uploaded by maujb.

This island was hit hard by the tsunami of 12/26/05 and washed from the right side of the isthmus to the left side. Most of the structures and a lot of the coconut palms were taken with the wave out to sea. Phi Phi has rebuilt nearly to the pre-tsunami over abundance of pancake stands, beach shacks, and junk-jewelery huts and bars.

We were here for the Songkran festival, Thai New Year's, that is celebrated with water fights, squirt guns, buckets of ice water. In the 100+ degree temperatures it was quite refreshing.

Wind surfing in Ao Tonsai, Ko Phi Phi

Wind surfing in Ao Tonsai, Ko Phi Phi
Originally uploaded by maujb.

Yeah, lots of garbage in Phi Phi so the kids are resourceful. This kid charges 200 Bhat to rent his windsurfing rig.

Sweet Krabi Time Relax

Sweet Krabi Time Relax
Originally uploaded by maujb.

Krabi is a southern province on Thailand's Andaman seaboard with perhaps the country's oldest history of continued settlement. After dating stone tools, ancient colored pictures, beads, pottery and skeletal remains found in the province's many cliffs and caves, it is thought that Krabi has been home to homo sapiens since the period 25,000 - 35,000 B.C. In recorded times it was called the 'Ban Thai Samor', and was one of twelve towns that used, before people were widely literate, the monkey for their standard.

We be here long time our english good not so much now.