Dearest Family, March 19, 1998

We came back to Bangkok this morning about 8 o'clock. It is so much fun to sleep on the train - the lady who supervises all of us on these trips (Lek) has a relative with connections to the railway stations and he arranged a special car to be attached to the main string because all the seats were sold on that string. WELL - we could tell the difference and we swung back and forth most of the night but we were all so tired we slept anyway!!!

WHAT A FABULOUS TRIP I HAVE HAD!!! We left here Sunday night about 6 o'clock and all met at the railway station where we boarded the “sleeper car” at 8 p.m. We stopped first at Swatani where we went to a “Monkey Training College” and that has to be one of the most interesting things I have ever seen. It is in a coconut grove and the trainer is about 50 years old (I think) and he LOVES his monkeys. I learned many things: it takes about three months to teach a monkey how to get coconuts from the tree and the monkey has to distinguish between the green ones and the brown ones that are ripe - once trained a monkey can work for 15 years. Most monkey owners have them trained for more than a year to do that and other things too and it costs 20,000 bahts a year (that's about $1,000-I think). He showed us how they cut the husks from the coconut and it is really “old fashioned” I think and looked very rustic to me and he said he could cut 600 a day (he used a very large fork type implement).

We then took a ferry to “SAMUI ISLAND” and we had the most beautiful motel right on the beach (I believe it was the “SIAM SEA” but I'm not sure. Those who live here in this apartment didn't think it was appropriate for us to take swimming suits because we had been told it was against mission rules to swim in the sea. There were many in our group who did take their suits and those who didn't swam in their other clothing. President and Sister Goodman and their two children really had fun and others too. I had lots of fun too - we walked all along the beach and picked up shells and just “awed” at the scenery. We had dinner in the motel dining room that night and we all had American Food - Ha!!! I had spaghetti Carbonera with that cream sauce and it was heavenly.

Then we went to “Kow Sok National Park” and WHAT AN EXPERIENCE!!! We had little cottages right in the middle of the jungle - some had “tree houses”!!! Helen and I had a cottage without air conditioning, no running water except in the shower that was just a hanging thing without a “head” on it and we had twin beds with mosquito netting all around them. I LOVED it - it reminded me of when we used to “camp out”. Helen wasn't that thrilled with it. Some of the group went “tubing” and I walked up through the jungle with them but I didn't tube and I was glad because there was very little water in the so called river. I saw bamboo, rattan and all those limbs that Tarzan would swing on. That night there were about 15 teachers from outlying areas who came in to meet us and have dinner with us - we all sat at a long, long table by our cottages. Our teachers put on a little program after the dinner - IT WAS FUN!!!

We left Kow Sok National Park and went to Pang Nga Bay - I believe we were on the Andoman Sea and it looks just like an ocean. We traveled along and stopped at different shopping villages - IT WAS WONDERFUL. We saw many, many fishing villages with the boats and their fishing nets.

Then we went to Phuket - they compare that with Hawaii. I have never been to Hawaii but I have never seen anything as beautiful at Phuket. We had a very nice motel there and just walked a short distance to the beach - I got up at 6 o'clock yesterday morning so I could walk along the beach early. The beaches are all lined with tables and umbrellas and people go out early to “stake their claim” - there are many, many people there!!! The waves were very mild compared to the ones I have seen in the Pacific and Atlantic Oceans and I don't know if they ever get very high. The water was very warm. The temperature was 97 degrees while we were there and I believe the humidity was that high too.

I LIKED THE SAMUI ISLAND better than Phuket and when I told Lek that, she said she did too!!!

Our drivers were just wonderful to us and would you believe we had a police escort from the time we arrived until we came home - I COULDN'T BELIEVE IT!!! There were three vans filled with our group and the police car would use his siren so we could avoid traffic - I was a little embarrassed!!!

We visited the cashew factory - I was SO surprised when I learned how cashews grow - they are at the bottom of a pear shaped fruit (the fruit isn't good). We watched them get the nuts from the shell and I can understand why they are so expensive - it reminded me of cracking black walnuts and trying to get enough to make divinity. I bought raw cashews and they are delicious - they have them in every flavor - coffee, coconut, chili, etc., etc.

THEN - we visited a pearl factory and you just wouldn't believe the gorgeous pearls. I bought a small double strand of choker fresh water pearls and some earrings. It was SO funny - I found this set and the clerks kept telling me I needed some a little longer so I asked them to get them so I could try them on. It took them a long, long time and when they came with them I discovered they were 11,500 bahts and the shorter ones were 5,715 - I decided they wanted to raise their price when they found out I was interested. SO I bought the short set for 5,715 bahts - I believe that is about $130. It is SO hard for me to tell if the jewelry is authentic but I will love them anyway. They did give me a certificate card verifying that they were genuine fresh water pearls.

Just before we went to the train station they took us to a Chinese Restaurant and I have never tasted such delicious food - they had the American names under each dish (it was buffet) so we knew what we were eating. I have eaten so much coconut ice cream my cholesterol count should be going over the top - Ha!!!

We got on the train about 7 p.m. and arrived in Bangkok about 7 a.m. today and I continue to be so very grateful for this magnificent opportunity. NOW I AM GOING TO HAVE TO GO TO WORK. I leave in the morning for Ayutthaya and then to Lopburi and won't be home until Sunday night. I have a lot of preparation to do.

I WAS THRILLED TO HAVE LETTERS FROM PATRICE AND SARAH THIS MORNING - THANK YOU SO VERY MUCH. EMILY - I LOVED THE ST. PATRICK'S DAY CARD AND I HAVE PUT IT ON THE SHELF IN OUR APARTMENT - I WAS THE ONLY ONE WHO RECEIVED ONE!!! I WISH I COULD HAVE EATEN YOUR IRISH MEAL WITH YOU - they don't even have lamb here. I'll bet Emily helped make the Shamrock cookies with the green sprinkles on top. I LOVE YOUR PICTURE EMILY AT YOUR SCIENCE FAIR AND I'M SO PROUD THAT YOU TOOK 2ND PLACE IN YOUR “Take the chocolate chip challenge presentation”. Timothy and Jesse I LOVE your pictures too.

SARAH - I will keep my fingers crossed from now until your cheerleading competition is over - I won't care one single bit if you don't make it but I know how important it is to you.

I also had letters from Helen Bridges, Aunt Carol (she sent me the cutest “yo-yo” earrings and necklace type thing, and Polly Taylor. I am a much happier person when I hear from all of you and from my friends.

This is a crazy letter and I know you won't read all of it. Bob - I am sending you some literature about the Samui Island - they do a lot of scuba diving there.

I FORGOT TO TELL YOU ABOUT WATCHING THEM TAP RUBBER FROM THE RUBBER TREES - IT WAS FASCINATING. I am convinced they grow EVERYTHING there is to grow here in Thailand. THEY EVEN GROW COFFEE AND KAPOK!!!

I LOVE YOU ALL SO VERY, VERY MUCH. PLEASE BE SO VERY, VERY CAREFUL. Grandma B