Spiders 8 me

I am not sure when this happened, but at some point in my life--it seems like during my childhood--spiders began to become my nemesis. I don't suffer from arachnophobia or anything, but I must admit the little critters really make my skin scrawl. Recently I began to wonder if it's not my fault for feeling a sense of loathing towards these 8-legged freaks, but it is their fault. I usually take responsibility for my problems or try to, but in truth I think spiders tend to seek me out and challenge me with their multi-eyed stare and their hopping about. (Jumping spiders really are the worst.)

Pictured here is my latest combatant. I lifted a trash bag and found myself eye balls to eye balls with this beast. Thank God Thailand doesn't regulate the voltage of it's bug zapper rackets because this sucker wasn't going down without a little extra voltage surging through the strings.

Simply put, "SIM 1 and SPIDERS 0."

Waghor Aquarium, Prachuap Khiri khan

Close to Manao Bay is the Waghor aquarium. Despite only costing 75 cents or 20 Thai Baht, the facility is big with a wide variety of fish. Plenty to see if your a fish lover.

Ao Manao Bay

Keeping with my 2012 quest to escape the concrete confines of Bangkok, I made a journey south of the city to Ao Manao Bay. I hadn't been to this beach location in more than 5 years and, considering how much I had loved it the last time, I was filled with trepidation at he thought of the inevitable changes that had probably occurred.

I've never been happier to be wrong. Ao Manao Bay is only 4 hours out of Bangkok by car, but its just the burier needed to stave off the big investors from speculating and ruining the value of this little sea side gem of a vacation spot. Imagine a vast beach of white sand, where in the 3 days I spent there I shared it with only about 15 to 20 people a day. My hotel room, looking out over the beach, was only $25 US dollars a night.

What about cleanliness of the beach? To put it simply, the beach is on a military base where soldiers--probably connected ones--exercise by jogging on the sand and carrying brooms instead of riffles so they can sweep up any debris. I jogged and walked barefoot on the beach and felt as though I'd fallen into a different time.

Advice for Bangkok People

One night in Denver Colorado the fact that I live in Bangkok came up while we were having or Identifications checked to go into an adult establishment. It was the mountain size bouncer who was looking at my passport who had asked why I was using a passport for an I.D. When my friends said I was from Bangkok he started laughing. "Bangkok, I know that city well, lived there for six years. Let me tell you the key to living in Thailand, get the hell out of Bangkok."

At the time I probably didn't agree with him. I love the energy, chaos, and unpredictability of the metropolis of Bangkok--yet with each passing year--I must admit, my journeys out side the city are often much more memorable.

Recently I took a trip up north of the city close to the death railroad in Kanjanaburi with some of my co-workers. We stayed at Home Phu Toey resort, our probable location for our high school camp for S.K.I.P.