MontanaRon

An English teacher's blog about his travels and his digital art.

Month: August 2006

Sunsets and Reptiles

August 11, 2006 /

So far there has been no rain in Nongkhai and though HUGE storm clouds have built up all around, none have passed this way. The city is in the process of building a new walkway along the Mekong, part of which has been completed not too far from the hotel. It’s a perfect spot for photographing sunsets, and last night, with all the big thunderheads on the horizon, provided a very beautiful opportunity. Usually, even during rainy season, I can get some nice shots on the southern islands, but the time spent down there this year didn’t offer any good chances. Hopefully, the rain will hold off here, at least around sundown.

As usual, my skin is coming off in large sheets where I was sunburned. It’s disgusting–I won’t go swimming nor get a massage until I’ve shed it all. I feel like a snake.

I’ll be staying in Nongkhai until the 15th, when Nai and I return to Laos. Until then, there’s a few things to do in the area. Salakaewkoo is always worth a visit, especially to see the sculptures of the many-headed cobras. Some photos I took of it when I visited last year can be found here. More later.

Back to Nongkhai

August 9, 2006 /

Well, with the extra 3 weeks added on to my Thailand/Laos trek, I’ve decided to go back to Nongkhai, in Northern Thailand, for about a week, and then on into Laos for a few more weeks. It’s much cheaper up here than it is in the tourist havens of Bangkok and the islands. Nai and I took the overnight train into Nongkhai today. It looked like there was a lot of heavy rain in the area, but it’s clear now, hot, humid and sunny. I’m staying at the Pantawee Hotel, a pretty decent place and only about $23 a night. I could have stayed at a cheaper guesthouse, but this place has a pool, DVD players (and DVDs) in the rooms, free Internet, spa, etc. Not too bad. When I go to Laos, however, I am going to stay at the cheaper guesthouses, $5-$8 per night.

I haven’t heard anything about the Dominican position, but that’s to be expected. Right now, the State Dept. and Georgetown Univ. are gearing up for the pre-departure orientation for the positions that were filled earlier this year. I’ve been told to sit tight, be patient and check my email, but I don’t really expect to hear anything until after the orientation next week. My contact at the State Dept. said it’s been difficult to get anything firm about where I’ll be staying (the baseball campus or Santo Domingo), how many hours I’ll be teaching, etc., because his contact with the Yankee campus in the D.R. is all over Latin America, scouting the players. So, patient I’ll be. I did get my airline ticket back to the U.S. I’ll leave Bangkok on Sept. 3 and arrive in Great Falls about 2 or 3 in the afternoon the same day. More later.

A Stunning Development!

August 1, 2006 /

Not much to say about Thailand. We’ve been to Koh Samui and are now on Patong Beach on Phuket. So far Phuket’s been cloudy and rainy–not much sunshine, but it’s keeping things cool. We’ll probably head out of here and go back to Bangkok on Friday, then maybe over to Koh Samet.

While on Samui, I received an email from John, my former boss in Morocco. I read it and I thought, “What a jokester.” Then, I realized it wasn’t a joke. He was notifying me of a new English Language Fellowship position that had just opened and that the one-year rule about serving as a Fellow was being waived for this very special, high profile assignment. He asked if I’d like to apply for it. I hesitated for about 5 seconds before deciding, yeah, I want this one. What is the assignment?

Ok, all you Red Sox fans that read this, especially you, Karen, sit down and take a deep breath. The assignment is for an English language teacher at Boca Chica, Dominican Republic at the . . . . New . . . . York . . . . Yankees baseball campus!!! It’s a new facility where young prospects from all over Latin America come to show off their skills and receive instruction, etc. I assume they’re young guys, probably between the ages of 16-19.

So, I was accepted for the assignment and I will probably be returning to the States around the first of September. There are still many details to be worked out, flights to be reserved, paperwork to fill out, etc. I’ll keep posting here about how things are going. It’s not a done deal yet, but everything seems to be coming together ok. Am I excited? If you know me, you know the answer to that question already. More later.

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