Vacation Travel Begins

So we've left the volunteer group and are feeling pretty good about the last 2+ weeks thus far. We are thankful to have began our trip w/ the hill tribe and believe that this not only kicks us off to a gratifying and alturistic start, but gave us a great perspective on culture over here.

We were a group of 16 and have halved down to 8, as it turns out that others were planning to boat to Laos as well. We feel pretty good about still having some friends around, but at the same time are realizing that we are really to have our own experiences and make decisions for ourselves.

We had out first half day on our own since our first day and Bangkok and were appreciative of not having to answer to a schedule or other peoples musings and pontifications. Its amazing how you can really respect and admire and appreciate people, but at the same time the things that you care for in these people can grown thin after two week. We were really yearning for time to just spend together with each other, sit around and feel like we are on vacation. For the first time, today felt like a real vacation.

Sidebar: We are at a guest house (why do they call them guest houses, they are hostels, not houses) anyway, we are at this guesthouse and there is a movie collection. There are 50 movies and it's been 3weeks w/out a movie and I offer up the choice Burn After Reading. There were seven people that saw the movie, 2 loved it (Jeff and our work friend Lior) and the other 5 HATED the movie and generally thought it sucked. What it is w/ this movie?!?! Literally, there is no middle ground here. People either love it or think its trash. Wasn't this movie brillliant, I sure thought it was one of the funniest flicks I'd seen all year. I really feel like the smart people our there got it and the wingdings and nimrods just missed it. Oh well, I guess that humors not for everyone.

We'll write from Laos.