Upon crossing the Thai border we had to teach the people at customs to fill out our documents. Literally we were giving them orders as to how and where to put the dates and sign the papers. This is not because they are incompetent, it is just because they have never seen anyone like us before, especially from the USA. To top it off, most people stare at our trucks like spaceships, so we are no doubt aliens in an alien land. There will be no slipping through the border for us.
As we tell our stories of this, I am certain that these customs officers and the countless other locals that we encounter are going home and telling their friends their side of the story. I imagine it to go something like this:
Today these strange farang (simliar term to gringo) had some paperwork I have never seen before. I could not understand a word that was coming out of their mouths, but they pointed to the places for me to sign and I eventually got them out of my hair. I looked at the other parts of the document and there were strange years as though they had travelled through time. It said that it was still 2007!
The year they filled out for us on the paperwork was 2550. Clearly their calendar is a little bit different than ours. From there we drove through the supposedly unsafe southern part of Thailand. In that area there has been some separatist movements and fighting recently. It went quite well for us, but upon our arrival in Krabi and Phuket, everyone we talked to seemed suprised that we drove through this dangerous area.
This short trip up the coast from the south lead us to our latest story. We met with Reid Ridgeway, the director of the Ecotourism Training Center, and spent a few days in Khao Lak. This area on the West Coast of Thailand suffered the most damage and casualties from the Tsunami, but has been rebuilt into a charming place with much to offer those who enjoy the sea. The ETC has been a strong force in the effort to improve life after the Tsunami and we became very attached to the students making it hard to leave, but that story deserves its own entry that is in the works already.
Since we have been here our crew has grown to six then down to four and now we are down to two. You can all guess who is left at this point. Jimmy has decided to go his own way to pursue some of his own personal goals, and like the other crew members with us in the past, we wish him luck.
After trimming down the crew to the bare essentials, Bouey and I made our way up the narrow neck of Thailand, stopping to do a little caving on the way. Inside Kao Sam Roi Yot National Park, we were the last foreigners for months to explore these caves. The register at the park was full of only Thai people’s signatures. Moments like this certainly reinforce the reason that we are driving our own vehicles. This little gem is something that 99% of vistors to Thailand unfortunately never see. At RotYoi, the limestone cliffs that jet up just meters away from the ocean are the backdrop to small fishing villages that make you feel as though you are actually in Thailand and not just another beach resort in Asia.
Steve and I are in Hua Hin, just south of Bangkok right now. Our time is spent prepping ourselves for the next leg of the journey. We will be adding some new crew members shortly, getting our paperwork ready to make our way through China, and meeting with Harold Stephens. This wild ride that we have taken into Thailand will only progress into more stories that I cannot even begin to imagine…Steve and I are in for some interesting turns up ahead.
The TWBR "Office"
Even the Monkeys at RotYoi find the Tundra Fascinating
Click here to see more photos of the park
Ton Sai is also home to "Mr. Bamboo," a Thai tattoo artist who keeps the ancient tradition of tattooing using a bamboo shoot alive and well. Bamboo tattooing is done completely by hand and has been made somewhat famous in the west thanks to Angelina Jolie, and the guys from Jackass. Actually, there are not too many tattoo shops and artists left in Thailand who still use the traditional method of applying tattoo ink, so I decided to go ahead and not miss the opportunity to get one in Ton Sai. Before I left the States, I wanted to try and get a tattoo in each continent that we travel through, using whatever traditional application method they have… something to always remind me of my travels and experiences I guess. I sort of missed out on getting a "tapping" tattoo, a method used by Maori artists in New Zealand, so what better place to pick back up than with a sharp bamboo needle. 
