Some random, but interesting nuggets...

This is a beach that we went to relax at one afternoon. It was an interesting journey to get there. We took a ferry boat that seated A LOT of people. I was sitting on the lower deck and the water line came dangerously close to the open window I was sitting at. The boat people like to pack on as many people as they can, as it gets them more money for each trip. A little scary, but definitely a fun adventure. These ferries take you to many different islands that have been commercialized for tourists. After the 30 minute trip to an island, we got off the ferry and took a truck/taxi (a small truck with bench seats in the back) where, once again, we packed on as many people as we could. The truck ride was about 5 minutes to a beach where they had tons of umbrellas with chairs to sit on. They took your order and brought food to you...I know...this wasn't really suffering for the gospel :) but it was some well needed rest for all three of us. The water is really warm, the sun is really hot because we're real close to the equator, and the "moons are very full" ha ha (if you know what I mean) as there were many European tourists bathing in the sun :)


I have really been enjoying the Thai food here. Nothing out of the ordinary. Lots of rice, lots of chicken and fish. I have not yet however, tried the rotisserie duck yet. Eeek! Maybe if I was here for a Christmas Dinner I would...Fa Ra Ra Ra Ra, Ra Ra Ra Ra :)






Here is a pic of the boardwalk/beachfront in Pattaya. They have been working really hard to clean this area up as it has been poorly taken care of because of the dumping of trash into the water. According to the Porters, the city is really working hard at cleaning up many different things, including their reputation as a sex-tourist place. They believe the city leaders are just following suit as the spiritual atmosphere is getting saturated by the worship and prayers of Christians in Thailand. Praise God!


Take a close look at this...it's a floating restaurant in the coastal waters of Pattaya. There were two or three of these, but this one was the biggest.







Thai's are not really into ground beef. Consequently, McDonald's presence has grown very slowly in this country...which could be good thing :) Believe it or not, KFC is very big in Thailand because they LOVE chicken...funny. If you look close at this pic of Ronald, you'll see him offering a "wai" which is the Thai greeting.