TD, Monsoon Cold, and Herpes... oh My!

So far, I have not escaped the wrath of the tropical weather and strange food. having digestive problems because of the food I understand. and it is the rainy season, so I guess getting a head cold isn't out of the realm of possibilities. but herpes? get real.

One would think that if you got herpes in bangkok, there would be a great story to go with it. Being that it's me, and wierd stuff happens to me all the time, I don't think anyone would be too surprised (feret bite leading to rabies?).

But, alas, that is not the case this time. While I did wake up with a strange rash on my chest, and I did decide to go the the doctor (by the way, Thai hospitals are very nice), there is not intriging story as to my contraction of the herpes virus. I simply got it. The doctor blamed the hot weather. Going outside and sweating, then going inside and cooling off, then repeating over and over. but herpes from that? come on...

but, it's true. i have my trusty "valtrex" sitting next to me as I am typing this. great.

luckily, my form of herpes is not too bad... just shingles. what is shingles? i'm not sure, but go ahead and google it if you like. i guess it is similar to chicken pox, but not really. oh well. all i know is that i got herpes in bangkok and have the lamest story to explain it.

1 Week

Well, my work here is almost over. It seems strange to think that our time here is coming to an end. And while we miss home and some of the conveniences, there are definitely parts of Thailand that will be imprinted on us and we will miss when we return.

But, we have been enjoying our last couple weeks in Bangkok. Last weekend Liz, myself, and friends went to a Cabaret style show whose actors were entirely men dressed in drag. It was actually an amazing show. Great performances, and I can't believe that some of the individuals were actually men. Later that night we went to an Irish pub and listened to some great Irish folk music before retiring for the evening.

Saturday we relaxed before celebrating our friend Dave's birthday. We started with the cake (Liz was happy about that) and went out to dinner. We went to an amazing Korean grill, where each table has individuals grills where the food is cooked. It was all great. After dinner we went out to a club for drinks (or 7-Up for Liz) and listened to music. We tried to dance, but Thai people don't dance much. We danced a bit in our area, but I think we were the only ones.

After that the week has been relaxing. Liz and I are still recovering from colds, but we are doing well. Work has been slow this week, but that's fine also. As of right now we are trying to decide what we want to do next week before we come home. We've come up with some plans... luckily, the Thai airlines do no change prices based on when you buy the tickets (same price 4 months or 2 hours before the flight takes off). So, we may be making some last minute decisions.

hope all is going well. Jarvinen, hope you are enjoying your week home.

Friend in Town

An old friend of mine, Aaron Jarvinen, came in town this weekend. It was great to see him, as I haven't seen him since he left for China.

We had a great weekend, saw some sights, ate great food, took pictures w/ midgets, saw some great karaoke and bought a frog. Oh, and we saw some cockfighting too. Needless to say, it was a great weekend.