Chiang Mai, Thailand

The first two days in Thailand seemed the longest. Everything was so new and we went so many places. Surprisingly, the heat and humidity is not as bad as we had expected. The pilot said it was 32 C in Chiang Mai, but it feels cooler than Singapore.
Our first week in Asia was spent in Singapore for the first ever GO Fest Asia conference. Groups anc churches from many nations gathered to network, worship, and prepare to go out into Asia. Loren Cunningham and John Dawson were two YWAM speakers. Other speakers from Indonesia, Cambodia, and India shared about different aspects of the work they do in Asia.
We had a short orientation to Thailand inclusive of a humorous demonstration "how to use a squatty-potty." We practiced the greetings and accompanying bow of the head with hands flat together below the nose. Sawat dii kha is what the girls say and sawat dii khrap is the boys' greeting.
The Thai language is tonal. So one sounds can be said with five different meanings! This makes it hard to learn, especially from a book. We've found in Chiang Mai (the largest city second only to Bangkok) is used to tourists and has many English signs and menus to help us out.

We're blessed that the best priced guest house we could find, by meandering through the narrow streets, has air-conditioning and very clean, spacious rooms. After a week of sleeping on the living room floor in Singapore, BearHunter and I are happy to have our own bedroom and bathroom.