Cambodia!

Wow. Insane is the only way I can think to describe our trip to and from Cambodia. We had to leave the country and come back because Josh didn't get a visa for Thailand (American citizens can stay in Thailand for 30 days without a visa). So, we took a 3 1/2 hour bus ride from Bangkok to Aranya Prathet, Thailand. From there we took a tuk-tuk (cross between a scooter and a VW beetle) to the border between Thailand and Cambodia. Then we crossed the border on-foot (which just meant walking across a bridge), where we purchased Cambodian visas in Poipet, Cambodia($25/person, not bad!). The real excitement was when we got a taxi to drive us from Poipet to Siem Reap. Siem Reap isn't bad, just small. There are some good restaurants (owned by foreigners) with DELICIOUS sandwiches! You may not know this about me, but I love sandwiches. Thailand does not do sandwiches, neither does India. SO I was very excited to get a sandwich on a french baguette in Siem Reap.

We toured about 9 temples in the course of 8 hours over 2 days. We could only stay out until about 1 in the afternoon. After that it got too hot. We really enjoyed the following temples: Angkor Wat, Pre Rup, and East Mebon. We have lots of pictures, if you don't want to search for those temples online.

Funny thing about Cambodia: every car on the road is a Toyota Camry. I don't mean this like there are a lot of them. I mean it like it is a strange occurrence, which causes one to take notice, to see a car that is not a Camry.

This coming weekend we're going to Auttaya, Thailand. There are some neat temples there and it was once the capital of Siam. It's close to Bangkok, so we're taking a train to get there. Get excited to see a picture of me and Josh with a 19-meter high Buddha.

Love,
Elizabeth

Exciting WORK, can you believe it?

So, shortly after my comment about how boring was has been I got a REALLY exciting assignment. A man who was a Vietnamese refugee to Thailand came to our law office seeking legal assistance. He was in a concentration camp for 14 years in Vietnam before he fled to Thailand and was granted asylum in the US. His problem was that a woman had forged a marriage certificate that said they were married and she sued him for financial support in US Family Court. The court didn't do anything to verify the certificate, but just accepted that it was valid. They told him he'd have to come to Thailand to get proof that it was fake. So he did. He came to our office and asked to deal with a lawyer who speaks native English. In the entire office there is one person who fits that description: ME. I drafted a letter to send to the United Nations High Commission on Refugees asking for their assistance (that was last Thursday). Then yesterday (Tuesday), I accompanied my client to the UN building where we met with a UN official who gave us written confirmation that the marriage certificate, even if it wasn't forged, isn't valid under Thai law. I was really excited because we weren't sure we would get a letter of any sort and the one I got is really detailed. I hope I have been able to convey how BIG this project was. I got to meet with a UN official! I got to act as legal representation for a man who was in a Vietnamese concentration camp for 14 years! Alright, hopefully you get it.

Josh and I are going bowling tonight. Should be fun? I can't decide if I cherish those years of bowling lessons (every Saturday for 4 years, making me have at least the right form and take the right number of steps before throwing the ball) or regret them (this training gives people the false impression that I should be GOOD). We'll see. Don't know what we'll eat. Maybe they'll serve hamburgers and hot dogs like they do at bowling alleys in the US. What I wouldn't GIVE for some good nachos; the kind with the fake, obviously-not-cheese and dyed yellow tortilla chips.

Have I mentioned that I miss the food I normally eat?
Love,
Elizabeth

We're in Chiang Mai! It's pretty nice just to be out of Bangkok for a bit. Chiang Mai is definitely a city, but it is not as crowded or loud as Bangkok. Yesterday we just wandered around the "Old Town" area, which is nice. There are a lot of backpackers and coffee shops. Not to mention the standard street bazaars all over the place. I don't really like the bargaining system, so most of the time I just look at things. I get tired of the back and forth. For example, last night I wanted to buy a pair of cotton pants. (Note: I have a pair JUST like the ones I wanted and I paid 180 baht for them in Bangkok): "You give me 450 baht. Special price just for you. Is discount." My response "I bought pants just like this in Bangkok for 180 baht. That price is crazy." Her response (grabbing my pants leg) "No your pants low quality. These much nicer. Alright 400 baht." Now she has told me the clothes I am wearing are cheap and wants me to give her $12 for the exact same pants...Yeah, I got annoyed and walked away. She yelled down the street "alright for you 250 baht." Too late, not to mention that is still almost $9. I hope you can see why this would get tiring after a while.

Today we are climbing Doi Suthep, which is just outside of Chiang Mai. 300 stairs to the top, and the view should be beautiful. Yesterday the monsoon raged all day, but today it is SUNNY! Look at weather.com for the forecast for Chiang Mai. It's hilarious. During the monsoon season it just says "scattered thunderstorms" every single day.

More on Chiang Mai later. Oh and Josh and I have decided to go to Siem Reap, Cambodia next weekend. It was too expensive to fly, so we're taking a bus to the Cambodian border, walking across, and then clearing customs in Poipet. Poipet is supposed to be the most disgusting place on the planet, according to someone who posted about it online. I wonder if he has ever been to Tijuana... The whole trip there should take about 8 hours, but it's supposed to be amazing. Lots of cool Buddha statues.

:) Elizabeth

This is sort of a random post, but I thought I would let you all know that Josh and I are going to Chiang Mai this weekend. It's in Northern Thailand and there are a lot of neat temples there. We're flying on a cheap but, supposedly reliable airline. So that's what you have to look forward to.

Work is going a little better. I got to write a memo on a big case that my boss is acting at chair of the arbitral tribunal for. I was just excited to have something law-related to do!

Question: If you have been to Europe, what is the ONE place (as specific as you like) that you would have most regretted not seeing? We're formulating ideas for the fall's adventures.

More fun to come!
Elizabeth

Koh Samui

Josh and I got back from Koh Samui late last night. Our Friday to Sunday trip to the island felt like a week, which was great. Our bungalow was on the beach less than 5 meters from the water, as promised by the resort's website. The beach was also very sparsely populated, which was nice given that Koh Samui is very popular with tourists! We ate at restaurants on the beach. Good seafood! Surprisingly the sunsets were not spectacular. Usually it was too cloudy to see the sun going down. The water was REALLY warm, much warmer than any other body of water either Josh or I had ever been in. We waded around for about an hour until the high salt content made our skin itchy. I promise to share pictures when we get back, that was truly a breath-taking adventure.

My job is bothering me these days... Here was my thought at work today: "I feel like I'm on The Office (TV show) but it's worse because no one speaks English so they don't get my jokes." Hopefully this situation will improve soon, or I will be forced to take drastic measures.

Sorry for the short post. I didn't eat lunch and I'm STARVING. Josh and I are ordering The Pizza Company delivery for dinner. This is a chain started by a guy who used to be a franchisee for Pizza Hut, but who lost the franchise because he was opening a chicken restaurant that would compete with Kentucky Fried Chicken (which is owned by the same company as Pizza Hut). Bottom line: the guy who started The Pizza Company makes delicious pizza and rubs it in the face of the corporate monster that is Pizza Hut. (When I am back in the US I will rescind this comment, I actually love Pizza Hut)

More soon and a better mood, I promise!
Elizabeth (and Josh)

Conference in "Celebrations on the Auspicious Occasion of His Majesty the King's 80th Birthday Anniversary"

I am attending a conference on "Alternative Development and Sufficiency Economy" (see the title of this post) as a representative of my law firm. Actually, I am THE representative from my firm. It's pretty interesting, Amartya Sen gave the keynote speech this evening. Her royal highness the princess attended. It was cool. The film crew spent ABOUT as much time filming the princess as they did filming the one blonde woman in the room (that would be me).

I was shushed by a thai woman who pulled me aside and in a very condescending manner told me to lower my voice (this was when we were all just sitting there waiting for the princess to come. So I told her that her request was very offensive to my culture and sat down. I'm such a snot.

Tonight we're going out to dinner that is being paid for by Josh's parents in celebration of our engagement. It should be nice, though I have to get up early for the second day of the conference. Only one bottle of wine I guess!

:) Elizabeth

Dej-Udom

I started my job at Dej Udom Law Offices last Thursday. I sit at a desk and wait for people to come ask me to proof-read legal documents for grammatical mistakes...Sorry to say that is entirely true. The exciting thing I'm doing is some research for Kun Dej Udom himself on the possibility of starting a Juris Doctor program in Thailand. In most other countries a law degree is taken as a Bachelor's degree, not a Master's. So I'm writing a report comparing some Juris Doctor programs where they exist. The report will conclude with my suggestions for Thailand. Given that Dej Udom is the President of the Legal Council of Thailand (like the American Bar Association) my suggestions could easily become Thailand's first Juris Doctor program.

My favorite thing about Bangkok: for breakfast I buy a bag of fresh pineapple that is the BEST pineapple I have ever had and it only costs $.30. It's AMAZING! I didn't know I love pineapple so much!

Josh and I are going to Ko Samui this weekend to relax on the beach. It's an island in Southern Thailand. We got a bungalow that is 5 meters from the water. I'm sure I'll have more interesting things to write about after we get back!

Funny story of the day: I refused to have an x-ray for my work permit and got in a HUGE fight with a Thai doctor. Hopefully the doctor at the clinic I go to tomorrow will not make such a ridiculous claim as: "You should have a chest x-ray every year of your life to monitor your health. If you don't do that in your country, maybe it's because your insurance is bad." Wow.

:) Elizabeth

We're in Bangkok! Sorry this post doesn't have a heading, the computer wants to put it in Thai and I can't read the characters. Anyway, Thailand is beautiful and it was such a relief to get here! The last week I was in India, I developed a horrible parasite that made my intestines constantly cramp up. Very unpleasant, but I took a super-antibiotic that they give to anthrax victims and it cleared it up. That meant that I lost about 5 pounds. Getting to Thailand, I am sure I will gain that back quickly (which is good because I look weird that thin). The food here is really good. The people are REALLY friendly. AND the city is fascinating. They just built a new subway and a new airport, both of which are amazing!

OH and Josh and I got engaged! We had a ritual blessing by a Tibetan monk in Dharamsala, India, which was interesting and incomprehensible (it was all in Pali). I am very excited about the wedding. We're thinking 2008 in Hawai'i!

Josh and I are going to try to go to Vietnam and maybe Ko Samui on weekends, when I'm not really busy with work. I am looking forward to these excursions. Southeast Asia is really interesting!

I haven't started working yet. Tomorrow I will tour some governmental buildings and then Thursday I will finally get orientation at my office. The firm is called Dej Udom, and they have a website if anyone wants to get it out.

Sorry it took me so long to post this time. We were out of internet access for about 5 days and I just found this internet cafe, which is really close to my hotel. So, hopefully I will have more time to post now that we're settled in Bangkok.

Still no pictures...these computers look a little more high-tech, so maybe I'll be able to negotiate some way to get my camera hooked up to do some uploading!

:) Elizabeth